


The Tales of Grim

by redtunics (sonoflaufey)



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: NSFW, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:47:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 35,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25018009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonoflaufey/pseuds/redtunics
Summary: Wraith has escaped the IMC facility thanks to her alternate self, Voidwalker. But with no memory of her name, or who she was, she must learn to adjust to life anew as she meets new people and becomes involved with the Apex Games.Each chapter is themed after the 31 Days of Apex in July, found at https://twitter.com/31ApexDays
Relationships: Bloodhound & Wraith | Renee Blasey, Bloodhound/Crypto | Park Tae Joon, Crypto | Park Tae Joon & Wraith | Renee Blasey, Crypto | Park Tae Joon & Wraith | Renee Blasey & Bloodhound, Makoa Gibraltar/Mirage | Elliott Witt, wraithhound
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. Memory

**Author's Note:**

> This little fic is written merely for a 31 day challenge. Lore accuracy may vary, but I am researching to the best of my ability to get it as accurate as I can. With that being said, be aware that there may be inaccuracies either due to the inability to find what I'm looking for in the wiki's / reddit's, or simply guessing. This fic is simply meant to be self indulgent at best and for my love of bloodhound and wraith and my shipping of them. :)

She escaped. 

By the skin of her teeth, but she made it. 

And the only reason is because of this . . . alternate her. It was the first time she'd ever encountered anything like it. At least, that she can remember. She wouldn’t know otherwise. 

And now she was here in a canyon, ‘home to the Apex games’, as a banner recalled in the distance. But she didn’t know where to go from here, where she could find refuge and maybe begin her life anew. 

She contemplated waiting until someone showed up, but how long would that be? She wouldn’t last more than a couple weeks at that without food and water. She’d starve before she could make it out. All she knew at this moment was that she needed to get out and get out fast; the quicker she did that, the quicker she could begin adjusting to this new life and finding answers. 

Of who she was, her past, how she came to be in the situation she was in. At least before the other her helped her escape; the Voidwalker. 

So she began walking, setting her shoulders back and holding her chin high. 

* * * 

She had found refuge in a nearby shack, her feet having grown sore and formed blisters since she had begun walking. She didn’t have anything to tell time but it felt like hours that she tried finding a way out of here. She seemed to have made circles in some areas, and she began to wonder if this was an arena of some sorts. Something that needed specific transportation to and from. It would make sense if it were for some sport, as the banner she had seen suggested. 

But there had to be someone, anyone, who would be here to overlook the arena. She sighed, frustrated that she hit a dead end so soon. She leaned back against a nearby wall and pulled her knees to her chest, pushing her face into her hands as she let out a frustrated groan. She felt on the verge of tears, mumbling obscenities to herself for thinking this would be so easy. 

But before she could argue with herself much further, the voices in her head whispered; warned of a possible incoming threat, and her head shot up and eyes went wide like a deer in the headlights. Within seconds of the warning, a holographic-esque scan surveyed the area, very faint in sound and almost unseeable to the naked eye if she hadn’t known it was coming. 

Immediately, the hairs on the back of her neck raised and her instinct was to pull her knees and feet even tighter to herself and make herself small, pushing herself even farther into a corner. Her breathing became haggard and she immediately regretted lingering for too long. She hadn’t even considered that she might be seen as a threat, and wondered if these hostiles approaching would use force if necessary. 

She held her breath as footsteps began approaching, a sweat breaking out on her forehead. 

_‘Activate your phase,’_ a voice in her head barked, causing her to jump. Her fight or flight responses began to kick in as the door slowly creaked open. 

_**‘Now!’**_ the voice ordered, pushing her out of her paralyzing fear. With a push of a button on the mechanic on her arm, she jumped into the void, quickly getting up on her feet. She slipped out a door on the opposite side and down a ramp, making her way underneath the house. 

Trapping herself yet again. 

“Smart move,” she murmured, her heart still pounding in her ears, as she came out of her phase. 

_‘They’re behind you — don’t run,’_ the voice advised as she turned her head over her shoulder. _‘This one won’t hurt you.’_

She stood still, paralyzed once again as the figure behind her slowly approached. The shade from underneath the house blurred they’re features, but she could tell they were in full attire from head to toe; a hat of some kind, and a . . . mask? 

She debated if she should still attempt to run despite the voices advice to hold still. But this person couldn’t be the only one here; even if they were, they’d surely call for help if she ran or caused a fuss. 

“Don’t worry,” said the masked figure, they’re voice muffled from behind the mask. “I don’t want to hurt you, I’m here to help.” 

_‘Trust them,’_ her voice reminded her, her hands shaking. She slowly turned to face the person, carefully raising her hands in surrender. 

“I — I’m just looking to get out of here, I. . .” she stuttered, her breathing uneven. She furrowed her brows, feeling uncertain and on the verge of a breakdown. 

“I came from a building in—” she hesitated, trying to remember which direction in which she came, but found herself forgetting after walking for so long. “Somewhere, I don’t remember. But I’m just looking for shelter and a way out of here.” 

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. She didn’t want to be taken back from whence she came. How could she tell this person didn’t work for the IMC? That they’d return her back to her reality. She didn’t want to go back. 

“What’s your name?” the masked figure asked, tilting their head. 

“I . . . I don’t know,” she murmured, almost too quiet to hear. She furrowed her brows in frustration, at herself for getting into this situation, and being unable to give them any information. She was almost tempted to give them a fake name. 

“My name is Blóðhundr, but most call me bloodhound,” they said, offering out a hand. “You can call me Blóð for short.” 

She looked at their hand, then back to the mask, hoping her voice would offer some kind of reason as to why she shouldn’t take their hand, but remained silent. She was on her own here. 

So with hesitance, she carefully grasped their fingers and allowed them to guide her out from under the shack. It was then that she realized they were alone; unlike how she feared, that there might’ve been several people. Even possibly with weapons. 

Gingerly, Bloodhound guided her to the drop ship they must’ve arrived in and, as promised, brought her to the compound. 

* * * 

Once they both arrived, Bloodhound gave her a tour of the compound in the most private of routes, for which she was grateful. Afterwards, they showed her to their room where she could shower in peace without the possibility of any of the other legends bumping into her as they went to retrieve food from the kitchen. 

When she was finished with the shower, she was met with clean clothes (which were presumably Blóð’s) and a sandwich alongside some fruit. 

She ate in silence, neither of them speaking for which she was grateful. It gave her the time to process what she had gone through, a lot of it still a mystery to her. 

As she picked at the last couple of grapes, she gazed out the nearby window, which had plants on the ledge and hanging nearby as well, the sun already setting and painting the sky dark hues of purple and orange. A bird cage hung nearby, but the bird it would have been holding had been roaming the room. She sighed as she twisted her mouth, still deep in thought. 

Blóð looked up from their book that they had taken refuge in reading, having lost most of the outfit they were wearing and had changed into more casual clothes, but had kept on some steam punk like goggles. She wondered how that could be comfortable, wearing them whenever they were in someone’s company, and reminded herself to ask later. 

“Is everything alright?” they asked. They had a nice voice, she thought to herself, now that the mask was taken away and she could hear it clearly. 

She picked at her fingernails as she looked into her lap, pressing her lips together as she shrugged. 

“I’m not sure,” she breathed, looking up from her lap but keeping her eyes focused on the wall behind them. “Just processing, really.” 

Blóð had stayed silent, probably to see if she would elaborate, and closed the book and sat up when they realized she wouldn’t. They swung their leads off the bed but stayed sitting, which kept a good distance between them from where she sat on the love seat. 

“What did you mean before?” they started, positioning both hands beside them on the bed. “When you said you didn’t know your name?” 

She finally looked at them, chewing on the inside of her lip. Setting the plate onto the coffee table between them, she inhaled deeply through her nose as she pressed her mouth into a tight line, picking at a loose thread at the hem of her shirt. 

“Just that,” she answered, as if that explained everything. “Where I came from, I had gone through something . . . something pretty horrible, that caused me to lose a good chunk of my memory. A lot of it, actually; including my name. I only remember being referred to as 61137.” 

Blóð seemed to sit in contemplation, without judgement. They again didn’t ask for her to elaborate, but she felt that maybe talking about it could help her sort through it. 

“This is probably going to sound really crazy,” she started, before shaking her head and scoffing. “No, it is going to sound crazy. But I’m only here right now because I traveled here from another dimension. From my dimension, through a portal. Using this.” 

She leaned forward to grab her mechanic from the coffee table between them, and twisted it in her hands. 

“I was being held captive at this facility, called IMC. All I remember is when I was being held there, but I can’t recall when I arrived or how I got there,” she murmured, staring at the device in her hands as she talked. Her hands were shaking, and she clutched the mechanic in hopes they would stop. 

“They performed experiments on me, which I think is how I got my memory loss in the first place. I don’t know my name, how old I am, where I used to live before then, or the exact duration I was even being held there.” She let out a shaky sigh as she placed the mechanic back on the table and wrapped her arms around her belly, gently squeezing. 

She continued to explain the events leading up to when they met in the canyon, surprised at how well she was keeping it together. Everything spilled out of her, and it felt like a weight just fell right off. 

“I just,” she started, tilting her head as she furrowed her brows in confusion. “I’m confused, how did you know I was in the canyon in the first place? How did you know to look for me?” 

Blóð shifted, but not in an uncomfortable way. They shrugged a shoulder, resting their elbows on their knees and resting their weight on them. 

“The alarm system went off, somewhere in security, and they thought it was a breach. No one was supposed to be in the arena yet. They had some of the security walk the perimeter, but they had me help scout and track the rest of the arena because I can scan for hostiles,” they explained, as if it was something simple. In hindsight, it probably was, but what could have happened if security felt the need to use guns on her? 

“They checked the tapes and saw you approaching from the labs, and I convinced them you were probably someone just double checking the area for safety measures;” they continued, as if reading her mind. “That’s what took me so long coming back with your food. I had to convince them that you weren’t a threat, that you were most likely someone new on the team surveying the area.” 

She chewed on her bottom lip, dropping her eyes from their gaze. “But why? I’m someone you never met before, you had every reason to tell them that I wasn’t someone who belonged here.” 

Blóð nodded, humming softly. 

“That’s true, but I’m not a heartless person either. You didn’t appear as a threat,” they explained, “I saw how afraid you were when I scanned for you and when you attempted to flee.” 

For some reason, that wasn’t the answer she was expecting. It still didn’t fully explain why they did what they did; they had no emotional ties to her, she wasn’t someone they held loyalties with. But she’d been treated so poorly for so long for simply existing, that the idea of someone trying to help out of the kindness of their heart was genuinely a shock to her. 

_‘They’re telling the truth,’_ the voice echoed in her head, causing her to jump slightly. It had been silent for a while that she had almost forgotten about it. Blóð eyed her sympathetically, and she shifted in her seat, pulling her knees to her chest as she mumbled a sorry. 

“But thank you,” she murmured, twisting her mouth. “For -- for helping and taking me in. You have no idea how much of a relief that is.” 

Blóð gave her a small smile, which she couldn’t help but reciprocate. They had a nice smile. She wished she could see how it looked when it reached their eyes. 

“So what would you like to be called?” Blóð asked, leaning back slightly to take their weight off of their knees. 

She furrowed her brows, shaking her head in confusion. “I . . . I don’t know what you mean?” 

Blóð shrugged, resting their hands behind them on the bed. “Well, you can’t recall your name, so we’ve got to refer to you by something other than your pronouns alone.” 

She hadn’t thought about it, in all honesty. With the thrill of the escape from IMC and getting out of the arena, the priority wasn’t really there. But they had a point, since she would be around for a while. If she would be around for a while. 

She twisted her mouth as she rested her chin on the tops of her knees, considering the thought. 

“I feel like Grim fits the best. Or Wraith,” Blóð suggested. She nodded slowly as she mulled it over, running each name through her head. 

“Both aren’t bad. Maybe I can use them interchangeably?” she suggested, raising a brow. Blóð nodded with a shrug of one shoulder, tilting their mouth into a half smile. 

“I can introduce you to the other legends under Wraith, and maybe call you Grim myself? Could give you a feel for both names so you can decide which one you like better?” 

She smiled shyly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she hummed. “I’d like that, yeah.” 

Blóð returned the contagious smile, standing to grab something from elsewhere in the room and returning with a quilt and suitable pillow to sleep on. 

“You’re more than welcome to crash here in the meantime, until we can find you a more permanent place to stay,” they offered, handing Grim the blankets. 

She accepted them with thanks, placing the pillow on one end of the loveseat and draping the quilt over her now stretched out legs. But somewhere permanent? If there were similar labs like those in her dimension, maybe the answers she sought from her past could be answered here, in the Apex Games. She twisted her mouth in contemplation. 

“What’re you thinking?” Blóð asked when they had noticed her contemplation, slowly sitting back down on their bed. The question didn’t come off pushy, simply curious. She hesitated slightly before looking up to them. 

“Do you think they’d let me participate in the games?"


	2. Blood

She wished she could say that never in her life did she ever think she would join a blood sport, but . . . she couldn’t necessarily remember that far back to say that certainly. Especially considering, as far as she could tell, there was most likely a good chunk of her life where she was trapped in a detention facility.  


But maybe another one of her lives in some other dimension had participated. Could that Voidwalker who saved her have? She’d never know  


“You okay?” Blóð asked softly as they brushed their fingers against the back of her hand. She was surprised by the touch but ultimately felt comforted by it. She nodded in response, giving them a small smile.  


Blóð had agreed that they’d help her get into the games, but only if she sat on the sidelines the first couple of matches and observed. They had voiced that they’d prefer if she sat out for a while until they could figure out any limits she might have in regards to traumatic stress. They were right, of course, and she was glad someone with a level head was willing to help her figure this stuff out.  


So Blóð has suggested meeting the other legends, in the possibility of acclimating to the compound a bit better. Although meeting new people certainly made her nervous, she was on board. If she would be competing with and against them one day, it would make sense to at least become acquainted.  


Blóð guided her to a commons area, fit with couches and bean bags to lounge on, a relatively small kitchen area, and a television fit with all the bells and whistles. Everything you could need for hanging out and relaxing with a group of people.  


She had to admit, though, that the idea of meeting these people made her nervous. Her stomach twisted with nerves, her hands on the verge of shaking. What would these people think of her? Would she fit in?  


She was worried she’d have trouble socializing, locked away for so long. She began to think that this might’ve been a bad idea, but she’d feel foolish changing her mind now.  


“Hey guys,” Blóð called, their voice even and soft. Grim wrapped her arms around her center, clutching at the sides of her shirt, hoping she didn’t look tense. She could feel her palms sweating.  


Four pairs of eyes turned to greet them, two females and two males. A robotic figure sat in the kitchen who waved at Blóð’s hello, and Grim gave . . . him? Them? A small wave. (She’d have to ask what to refer to them as later.)  


By her count, the seventh legend seemed to be missing, probably off doing their own thing elsewhere.  


“Everyone, this is Wraith,” Blóð started, gesturing to her as they gave her a reassuring smile. She met their eyes, hoping she didn’t look as panicked as she felt. They seemed to give her a small, reassuring nod as they looked back to the other legends.  


“Wraith, this is Bangalore, but you can call her Anita,” Blóð introduced, a strong looking woman with a short, curly haircut, who saluted with two fingers.  


“And Lifeline, who’s our wonderful medic. Her name is Ajay.” A small, pink haired female giggled and waved.  


“How are ya?” Ajay asked, and Grim nodded once with a small smile.  


“This is Mirage, whom we know by Elliot. And next to him on the couch is Gibraltar, but we call him Makoa.” Both of them waved, and the bigger of the two let out a deep laugh.  


“Nice to meet ya, it’s nice to see a fresh face here,” he welcomed, and though despite his bigger size, seemed like a big, friendly teddy bear. A gentle giant.  


“Over there is Pathfinder, and our missing company is Caustic, who goes by Alexander. He’s usually working on some experiment or his tech for the games. He’s not too sociable,” Blóð explained as Grim nodded along, taking in everything. She almost felt overstimulated, wishing she could get some air.  


“If you’d like, you’re more than welcome to stay in here, or we can go work out getting you a room,” Blóð suggested, trailing off from their sentence. Grim began biting on her thumb nail, humming to herself as she thought.  


“I kinda just want to get out of here for a second, if that’s alright,” she murmured, furrowing her brows as she looked over her shoulder to the door.  


As if they sensed her discomfort, Blóð nodded and bid their farewell to the group, walking Grim out from the room with their hand hovering just slightly over the small of her back.  


“There’s a place you might like that I go to when I need to think; I can go grab some food from the kitchen and we can have a makeshift picnic, and work out getting you a room later,” Blóð offered, Grim humming her approval.

* * *

“This place is wonderful,” Grim mused, slowly scanning her eyes around the balcony. It was completely overgrown with vines and plants, although it was intentionally placed, which gave a controlled look to the chaos. Blankets lay completely covering the floor, with cushions scattered to serve as seats.  


Blóð’s raven — whom Grim learned was named Artur — flew from their shoulder and perched onto a hanging plant, which swung slightly when they landed.  


“This section of the compound has remained unused for a long time, for whatever reason; I think it became abandoned when the employees working got let go due to funding issues,” they explained, placing the basket carrying their food in between two pillows which sat under a corner pergola. “I was doing some exploring when I first arrived here myself and stumbled upon this place. Cleaned it up a little and it became like a little sanctuary.”  


Grim walked to the iron rod railing and looked out over the horizon, nothing but miles and miles of trees stretching in front of them.  


“It’s so quiet,” she observed, her voice almost a whisper. She gripped the railing and took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.  


“Makes it easy to turn your brain off for a second,” Blóð commented, stepping in the spot beside her. She nodded slightly, furrowing her brows as she swallowed hard.  


“What happened back there?” Blóð asked, watching her carefully. “If you don’t mind me asking.”  


She twisted her mouth, shifting her weight between her feet. She dipped her head, inhaling a shaky breath.  


“I wanted to meet everyone, I really did,” she started, looking up and turning her head slightly to face Blóð. “But I just started getting this nagging feeling, this pit in my stomach. Like I was being watched, which I know sounds crazy.  


“I’ve only been here barely 24 hours and I just kept feeling like this isn’t where I should be, that I should be back in my facility. That they’re gonna come and drag me back there, and I’ll just go with them.”  


Blóð remained silent, not needing any words to convey their sympathy. They nodded their head towards the pillows and gently pressed their palm to Grims elbow before guiding her under the pergola.  


“What makes you think they’re going to come after you?” Blóð asked, positioning themself on their pillow to sit comfortably. Grim followed, crossing her legs and slouching slightly, fiddling her thumbs in her lap. “Did they say that they were?”  


She let out a sigh, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Blóð had a point; there was no reason they’d come after her. What was it she heard them say when the Voidwalker was fighting everyone off in order for her to escape? The Voidwalker was who they needed, that Grim was “expendable”.  


She had trouble pushing the thought out of her head ; that if the Voidwalker somehow escaped also, they’d still come back to find her. But that would be ridiculous . . . wouldn’t it?  


_‘Stop, you’re hurting yourself.’_  


The voice startled her, pulling her out of her trance, making her realize that she hadn’t actually answered Blóð’s question out loud.  


And that they were crouched in front of her trying to get her attention. She blinked, her vision coming back into focus as she furrowed her brows.  


They had kept their distance, but their hands gently wrapped themselves around her wrists, just barely touching them.  


“Hey,” they whispered, their attention diverted between her hands and her face. She realized she had been clenching her fists, and relaxed them. “What's the matter? Are you okay?”  


She nodded, tilting her head to demonstrate her confusion. Blóð gently lifted her left hand, causing her to realize that she had punctured the skin on her palm with her fingernails. She gasped softly, the blood smeared slightly.  


“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she muttered, pulling her hand from Blóð’s grasp and cradling it with her other hand. She heard Blóð chuckle softly, fetching some napkins from their picnic basket and handing them to her.  


“You don’t need to apologize,” they smiled, coaxing her into giving them back her hand and pressing the napkins to her wound. “You did nothing wrong.”  


She almost caught herself apologizing again, but pressed her lips together with a small smile, dipping her head to chuckle softly into her lap before watching Blóð tend to her hand. The softness of their tone pushed her to the verge of tears, just barely; the reassurance that she didn’t need to feel like a burden.  


“I shouldn’t have asked such an intrusive question — I know how difficult it must already be for you to be processing this without someone else trying to coax it out of you,” they apologized, giving her a sympathetic look.  


She shook her head, humming softly.  


“No, no — it’s not a bother at all; if anything, it’s just helping me sort through it myself,” she admitted, twisting her mouth.  


Blóð cleaned up the remainder of her hand and observed it before nodding and sitting back.  


“Your hand should be okay, seems to be just a surface wound,” they explained, pulling their knees up and resting their arms on top of them. “If you’d like, we can stay here and continue with lunch, or we can head back? Figure things out with getting you housing.”  


She shook her head, rubbing the nape of her neck with her uninjured hand.  


“I wouldn’t mind staying and eating,” she said, nipping at her bottom lip. Blóð seemed to hesitate, watching to see if she would change her mind before nodding and grabbing the picnic basket, distributing food between them.  


“Thank you, for being so helpful and patient,” Grim murmured, watching them carefully lay the food between them as if the task required perfect precision.  


They gave her an understanding smile as they put the basket to the side and brought their pillow closer, digging into a sandwich.  


“You’re welcome.”


	3. Mercy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is _slight_ violence in here, but very brief. It gets a little angsty.

It had been a couple days since she had made herself comfortable at the compound. She had kept herself mostly confined to her room as she acclimated to her surroundings and the legends. They were all very close with each other, and almost seemed like a little niche family. She felt something inside her, almost like a longing, for that kind of closeness that she never had the chance to experience (at least that she could recall). 

She sat lost in thought, picking at her fingernails, as she watched the legends fool around in training in between sparring matches. She had sat on the sidelines the last couple of trainings, as Blóð had suggested, and got to see how they worked with each other. Mindlessly, she grabbed the kunai instead that she had set beside her and twirled it carefully in her hands, letting her hands explore the details. 

“Grim?” 

She blinked rapidly, furrowing her brows in confusion as she turned her head towards the noise. She saw Blóð, poking their head around the threshold to the viewing area. She took a deep breath in, sitting up straight. 

“Hi — sorry. What’s up?” She slightly shook her head from the gnats in her brain, resting her elbows on her knees as she dangled the kunai from her hands. 

“I just wanted to check in; a couple of the legends wanted to know if you wanted to come down, show you the ropes?” 

She turned her attention back to them, Pathfinder waving. She returned the gesture with a small wiggle of her fingers, a tiny smile shining through her features. Elliot stood next to Pathfinder, his voice booming — she could just barely hear it from up here through the open door. He seemed to be sharing some kind of story, his persona loud enough to grab the attention of everyone. 

“Yeah, actually; that’d be great,” she beamed, the corner of her mouth still upturned in a small smile as she looked back over to Blóð. They nodded, returning the smile. She felt her stomach twist slightly at the sight; she liked the way they smiled. 

They gestured for her to follow and she stood, tucking her kunai in a pouch on her outfit, the one she wore when she first arrived. She went after Blóð and followed them down some steps into the gym, which seemed to double or even triple in size now that she was actually inside it. She observed the area, twisting her head this way and that. There was so much to explore — scaffoldings, rope ladders — mimicking that of environments they might encounter in the arena. 

Other areas were dedicated to actual gym equipment for those who wanted a simple workout, which she could see herself using when she wanted to build up her stamina. She could see herself getting lost there if she made late night gym trips once everyone was gone. The idea of attempting to workout the first couple of times in front of people made her nervous, for some reason. The idea of working out during the busier times when people could watch her mess up. 

She was pulled from her observation when Elliot, very loudly, called out to welcome her. “Hey newbie; you ready to get into the action with us?” 

Next to him stood a replica of himself, most likely a decoy. Blóð had explained to her the extent of each legend's abilities, and Elliots were his decoys; great for fooling people and getting out of sticky situations in fights. Distract with the right hand, cut the purse with the left. 

She nodded, giving him a little smirk. “You’re actually excited about the newbie getting to kick your ass?” 

The circle of legends shared chuckles and snorts between them as they attempted to hide their laughter, causing Grim to blush. She wasn’t usually so . . . brash with her language, especially since it seemed to be taking a while to get out of her shell and open up. It seemed a little easier with Elliot though, aside from Blóð. 

“Seems like this one is gonna give you a run for your money there, isn't she?” Gibby beamed, flashing a grin in Elliots direction and patting him on the shoulder, who seemed to visibly shrink now that the humor turned against him. “Hey, don’t worry about it babe, I can tell she’ll give you some healthy competition when she begins to participate in these games.” 

Elliot blushed at the display of affection, stepping in to Gibbys space nonchalantly and poking his chest lightly, mumbling something under his breath in response to him, and Grim couldn’t help but press her lips together tightly to hide her smile, the two of them bickering reminding her of an older married couple. 

She turned to Blóð for instruction to find them watching her, their head tilted slightly as if they were impressed with how outgoing she was acting. She wrapped her arms around her middle softly and blushed once again, turning away in hopes her rosy cheeks would stop flaring up. She was tempted to look back at them again but knew the flush of her cheeks wouldn’t stop if she did. 

* * * 

The next couple of training sessions just went to prove how much improvement she needed to make in physical endurance, as well as fighting and defense overall. She had gotten beaten up mercilessly countless times, by Elliot especially, who seemed to enjoy that her comment the week prior was in fact coming back to bite her in the ass. 

“How does it feel, newbie? The sky must look really nice from down there,” he teased, bent over to throw his jokes in her face. She rolled her eyes at him, but smirked at him anyway. 

“Did you forget that we’re inside a building right now, Witt? Or did all that hairspray you used this morning get to your head?” she teased back, grabbing for his hand when he offered to help her to her feet. 

He shot her a grin, turning on his heel and shrugging, throwing his hands palm up. “I’m just sayin’, must feel tiring always being tossed to your back like a ragdoll.” 

She rolled her eyes again, even though he couldn’t see it with his back turned as he went to fetch some water, and scoffed under her breath. She massaged her wrists, grimacing at the pain that radiated through her entire body. At this rate, with how often she seemed to fail in training, she felt she might never be ready to participate in the games. 

She was about to head over to grab some water as well when Anita walked over and nodded her greeting, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. 

“You seem to be getting beat up pretty bad there,” she commented, a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. Grim let out a short scoff, shaking her head as she readjusted the straps she had wrapped around her wrists and hands to protect them when training. 

“You can say that again,” she muttered, shuffling her weight between her feet. 

“If you’d like, I can help properly train you on your form and fighting technique in hand to hand; no offense, but at this rate, just throwing yourself into training everyday without any proper experience isn’t going to teach you anything,” Anita offered, quirking a brow. 

Grim twisted her mouth, looking up to Anita with a look of longing. “You’d really do that?” 

Anita nodded, her expression turning soft and understanding. It made Grim feel welcome, with how accepting the legends have been and how she seemed to gravitate naturally into the group. Everyone had something to offer, and was always willing to help her adjust. They didn’t know it, but it certainly edged her out of her shy skin. 

“I know you’ve been using the gym equipment after we’ve all sparred in here; I figured, if you wouldn’t mind the company, I can help teach you and push you to become stronger.” Grim smiled at the suggestion, nodding her head as she eyed her feet sheepishly. 

“That would be . . . _seriously_ awesome,” she murmured, looking up to Anita through her lashes. Anita gave her a curt nod as a welcome and gently pressed a hand to Grims arm before turning away to finish what she needed to for training. * * * 

Later that night, Grim sat on her bed with her back pressed against the wall, eating away at an apple she swiped from the commons area on the way back from training, her nose in a book. She had found a library type area in the compounds when snooping around her first couple of days here, and had gone through a small handful of novels already. 

She massaged her shoulder, having taken quite the beating after that day's training on top of her extra “lessons” from Anita. She knew she would feel it badly in the morning, after hoping her body was finally acclimating to the workouts. But with the extra sessions, it would probably take a little longer. Ajay had offered to help relieve her ailments with proper bandaging and aftercare, but she had refused most of them -- they were mainly bruises and sores that she knew wouldn’t take too long to heal on their own. But she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. 

Her head shot up from her book when she heard a light knock on her door, and carefully she set her book down onto her bed so as not to lose her page and answered the door, perking up when she was met with Blóð. 

“Hey” she breathed, stepping aside to let them in. “Come in -- to what do I owe this pleasure?” 

Blóð shot her an accusing look with a hint of sarcasm, causing Grim to giggle and hide her face behind her hand. 

“Can I not genuinely want to visit you at such an hour? I don’t think it is _completely_ uncalled for,” they mused, carefully taking a seat on the recliner she had acquired for her room and sitting back, rocking the chair with their feet. 

She shrugged with a shoulder, closing the door behind her as she reclaimed her spot on the bed, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her arms over them. “I guess it’s not completely abnormal; we’re both night owls, right?” 

Blóð simply nodded, humming softly. Grim watched them with a small smile on her face, resting her chin on her knees as they sat in comfortable silence. She was almost tempted to grab her novel and resume reading where she left off when Blóð sat forward. 

“You seem to be drifting towards the other legends pretty nicely,” Blóð pointed out, the corner of their mouth twitching slightly with the threat of a smile, impressed. 

Grim contemplated with a hum, hugging her legs a little tighter with happiness. “Elliot is really easy to mess around with -- he makes it easy to get my mind off things when in training.” 

“He has that way about him, yeah,” Blóð mused, leaning forward so they could rest their elbows on their knees. “I saw you with Anita today too.” 

Grim nodded with a little shrug, letting out a small, breathy laugh. “I -- Is that . . . that’s normal, right? Both of them are just easy to talk to.” 

Blóð gave her a reassuring nod, bashfully rubbing the nape of their neck. “Oh yeah, of course. It’s just nice to see you socializing; you’re really just . . . I don’t know, just opening up, becoming your own person.” 

It was different, seeing Blóð give her praise, and being _sheepish_ about it. They usually seemed so calm and collected, confident but in a reserved way. The change in their natural reserve, especially towards her, made her feel warm. She had to hide her face in her arms so as not to grin foolishly. 

“It’s nice to hear you say that,” she murmured, turning her head away when she felt her face flush. She found herself doing that often today, especially in Blóð’s presence. It immediately made her think of Elliot and Gibby, the affection they shared for each other, and the possibility that that was something she would one day find in somebody. 

And quite possibly . . . but before she could think it, she tossed the thought from her head. 

* * * 

“So, how’s the sky looking from down there?” 

Grim bent down next to Elliot's head, her arms resting on each knee as she gave a sideways smile to him. It took her almost a week, but she finally started getting the upper hand in their fights. And she actually _knocked_ him. 

She flashed a grin up to Anita, who stood across the room with Gibby and gave her a thumbs up. Anita playfully shoved Gibbys shoulder, who barely budged at the contact, holding her palm up as he dug through a pocket in his pants with a sigh and handed Anita a handful of change. 

Elliot seemed to catch the exchange and propped himself up on his elbow, still laying on the ground. 

“I’m sorry, but were you two _betting_ on us?” he accused, looking completely baffled. Gibby held both hands up, looking apologetic, while Anita simply laughed with a smirk on her face, crossing her arms loosely. 

“Couldn’t help it, Wraith has been really catching on in her training; I think she was tired of seeing your sorry face taunt her over and over,” Anita admitted, shooting Elliot a look. 

Grim gestured with a quick nod towards Elliot to get up, tapping his elbow before standing and positioning herself to spar again. She kept her feet shoulders width apart and held her hands in front of her, fisted. 

Elliot made the first move, as he usually did, going straight for the offensive. He was quick to make jabs and keep her on her toes, but she just as easily blocked most of his attacks. They circled one another, each of them attempting to throw the other off. But he faked her out on one of his attacks and turned her around. 

She caught herself before slipping over her own two feet and used her momentum to swing at him now that he was in front of her again . . . only to fall forward right through him. She looked around as she made sense of her surroundings, finding several Elliots scattered around her. 

‘Damned _cheater_ ,’ she thought to herself as she swiped through several decoys in hopes to find the real Elliot, only to be surprised when he came up behind her and caught her in a headlock, almost taking her feet right up off the ground. Her tip toes just barely reached as she squirmed, her heart beginning to race and palms becoming sweaty. 

She squeezed her eyes shut as she grunted and groaned, opening them again to find herself in a medical facility. Not just any facility though . . . it was exactly like the IMC in her universe, as if a doctor was struggling to keep her from lashing out, to hold her down. 

She grunted some more as she thrashed her legs and finally came free of their grasp. Thinking quickly, she tossed her head back to collide with their face, and she spun on her heels, finding them stunned by the contact. She used the distraction to run full force at them and knock them to their back, and without hesitation, began punching and hitting their face, grunting every time her fists made contact. 

They rolled her off them and attempted to hold her down, but she quickly shoved them off her with her feet and she straddled them once more, tears running down her face as she shoved a hand around their throat. 

Just as quickly as she regained control over them, a pair of arms grabbed her around her waist and pulled her off them, causing her to thrash about. 

“No, stop! Let me finish dealing with them!” she screamed, her arms reaching out towards them. She planted her feet in an attempt to resist being pulled away. 

“Grim, hey; listen to me,” a voice said sternly in her ear, continuing to pull her away from the scene. “You need to stop, calm down.” The scene before her blurred as a group of people went to help the person on the ground to sit up and make sure they were all right. 

“You can’t do this, let me go back! I’ll show them no mercy,” she continued to yell, attempting to twist and turn in her captors arms and return to the doctor. 

* * * 

She didn’t know how long it had been since she had been brought to isolation, but it had felt like hours. She laid curled up on her side, tucked against the wall that the bed was pressed against. Blóð had brought her to give her some space and get checked up on by the compound's medical professionals. For her own physical health and mental health. 

She felt like she had been crying for ages, now suffering from a headache because of it. She was upset with the fact that this had even happened in the first place. She thought she was doing so well, adjusting flawlessly. 

But naturally, someone as flawed as her would crack. 

She let out a shaky sigh, wiping the tears from her face, when the door to her room slowly opened and closed with a faint _click_. She pulled her limbs closer into herself, tucking her face further into her knees as if to hide. If she couldn’t see whoever was here, maybe they wouldn’t see her either and would leave. She could smell the smokey scent that hung from their clothes, and had guessed it was Blóð; whenever they lit incense in their room, it always clung to their clothes for a while after. 

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice hoarse. She knew it was cruel, the tone in which she asked her question. And the fact that she even asked it at all; they didn’t do anything wrong, just trying to help. But the tension from the day's events and then being confined in a place that just added to her stress: it took a toll on her. 

“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” they murmured, their voice shaky. “I -- I was just worried about you, I know that wasn’t really you out there today.” 

She lay in silence, the worry in their voice genuine. She inhaled sharply, holding her breath so she wouldn’t continue to cry and turned onto her back so she could see them. But when she locked eyes with Blóð, tears immediately spilled over and her whole body began to shake. 

Before she could realize what they were doing, Blóð sat next to her on the bed and scooped her up in their arms and simply . . . held her, and rocked her. She rested her forehead on their shoulder and let out her tears that she had been trying her best to hold in while she was trapped here. 

“Shhhh, it’s okay, little one,” Blóð breathed, running their nails gently up and down her back, the rhythm soothing. 

“I’m so sorry,” she said in between sobs, digging her face into their neck. Her sobs were muffled against their shoulder as she pressed herself closer against their chest, their familiar presence and touch soothing. Blóð used their other hand to pet the back of her head, her hair having grown out slightly since her arrival. “I promise, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”


	4. Prize

She had developed a bad habit of biting her nails since her accident with Elliot. She had bitten down on several of her nails far enough to make her fingertips bleed. The idea of facing him to apologize almost sent her into fits of hysteria, the guilt whispering into her ear that he wouldn’t forgive her. Blóð had reassured her that they explained the reason behind what happened without giving too much detail into her situation that she might not want to share, and for that she was grateful. 

The good news, if it could even be looked at as such, was that she was cleared to participate in the next match, and if she responded well enough, she could continue to participate. 

The “bad” news, or at least the most difficult part of that situation, was having to face the legends again after seeing what she did. She feared they’d be resentful, for attacking Elliot completely unprovoked, and she would understand if they responded in such a way. Would they think what Blóð had explained to them was completely fake? That these symptoms typically linked to traumatic stress that she experienced was just her trying to use a get out of jail free card? An excuse for what she did? 

Her stomach twisted with nausea as she walked her way to the dropship that would haul them to the arena; Kings Canyon, as she learned it was called. She hadn’t had time to approach any of the legends before today to explain to them personally and hopefully ease any discomfort they might feel towards her. It weighed heavily upon her, not being able to talk to them herself about the experience, and to apologize. 

She slowed to a stop at the open hatch that led inside the drop ship, attempting to convince herself not to turn around and back out of this now. She felt she came too far to get out of it that easily. She made a promise she would commit to this to find answers about her past, whilst attempting to recreate whatever semblance of normalcy she could to her life. 

With clenched fists, she pushed forward and walked into the ship, hesitating once she approached over the threshold. She looked both left and right down the corridor that would lead her father into the ship and she took a right, her boots echoing slightly against the chrome diamond plated floors. She walked into a room, where she found Blóð amongst Caustic and Pathfinder and they waved to her. She smiled in return with a slight nod, catching Blóð’s eye just barely through the lenses of their mask and smiled a little bigger, eventually turning away to find a comfortable spot on the ship to ground herself. 

Not too long after that, Elliot emerged, leaning against the threshold of the little alcove Grim dug herself into and crossed his arms. She straightened up suddenly, her stomach twisting. She was stunned into silence, finding herself stuttering. 

“I know, I amaze most people, it’s okay,” he joked, a small smirk painting his lips. She furrowed her brows, shutting her eyes tight as she shook her head. 

“W-what are you doing here?” she asked, hesitating before she looked back up to him. Most of the swelling on his face had subsided and was left with minimal bruises, the remnant of a crapped lip remaining. She felt immediate guilt when looking at him and wanted to look away. 

He looked over his shoulder and all around with a confused look on his face, quirking a brow. “I mean, all the legends come here before we get dropped into a match.” 

She sighed, dropping her shoulders as she closed her eyes in frustration. She knew she probably deserved all the sarcasm he was dishing out at her, but she had a feeling he knew what she meant. 

“I just wanted to see if you were okay after everything,” he admitted, his voice a soft murmur. She looked up to him with genuine shock and surprise. 

“You -- you wanted to see if _I_ was okay?” she reiterated, not waiting for him to answer. Not that it needed answering, it was rhetorical. “I’ve just been worried about you, as I’m sure everyone has been. You were the one who got punched in the face mercilessly. I’d understand if everyone wanted nothing to do with me after that.” 

He didn’t respond immediately, just watching her with . . . genuine sympathy? She couldn’t be seeing it right. He pushed himself from the threshold and let his arms fall to his side, sitting next to her. 

“Look,” he started, pressing his hands on either side of him and leaning his weight on them, “I know I don’t know the entire situation, and that’s fine, but Blóð explained to an extent what’s going on. I get it, it happens.” 

Grim felt on the verge of tears, taking in a deep breath before letting it out in a shaky inhale. It was a relief to her, that he approached her to talk about it. Let her know that he didn't hold any grudges against her and would be there for her if she ever needed help or just a friend for company. She got lost in time as they discussed, finding herself slowly opening up to him. Not as much as she did with Blóð, but it was something. 

* * * 

The first match kicked her ass. 

She had awoken the next day, completely sore in places she never thought she could ever possibly be sore. She laid in bed staring at the ceiling, willing herself to move. But she was proud of herself for getting through the game as successfully as she did. She smiled, going over the events of the games in her head. 

Eventually, she forced herself out of bed and into a shower, dressing into skinny jeans and a loose t-shirt. She headed towards the commons in hopes to fetch some breakfast, which ended up being mostly empty except for Gibby, Elliot, and Anita. She waved as she entered, Elliot giving her a little wink, and she scrunched her face quick in response. 

She grabbed two apples and a ziploc bag full of granola with almonds, and left from the commons, heading for the abandoned section of the compound. She was hoping to sit on the balcony that became her and Blóð’s getaway spot, possibly start reading that new novel she stowed away up there. 

So she wasn’t surprised when she saw Blóð up there already, leaning against the iron rod railing and overlooking the horizon. She smiled softly, making sure to stay quiet as she observed them. They must have gotten there early this morning, possibly to watch the sunrise, as they did often. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth to hide a grin, tucking her hand under her chin. 

Just barely, Blóð turned their ear her way, shifting their weight between their feet. “I was wondering if you were coming this morning.” 

She nodded, even though they couldn’t see it, and stepped over the threshold to meet them at the railing. “I woke a little later than I hoped I would, the match yesterday completely wiped me out.” 

She handed Blóð one of the apples and bit into hers, leaning onto the railing as well and standing in comfortable silence. 

A few moments passed as they finished their food and started on the granola before Grim spoke up, “Elliot came to talk to me yesterday.” Blóð tilted their head and hummed with curiosity. 

“I thought I saw him go talk to you on the ship,” they mused, voice almost a murmur. She recapped the conversation, Blóð simply humming and nodding when appropriate, but otherwise making no other commentary. By the time they had finished discussing the matter, they were each seated on their pillows. 

“It was just really nice, to at least have him understand the situation and have someone else to talk to,” she mused, brushing a hand through her short hair. Blóð smiled, reaching out to brush their fingers just over her ear to feel her hair. 

“It’s nice to see your hair grow out,” Blóð murmured, letting their fingers brush down to her neck before pulling them away. The surprise touch made her stomach flutter, a small gasp escaping her lips. “It looks good.” 

She felt her nerves flare up all over at the compliment, a flush spreading up her neck to her ears. Grim licked her lips and clammed up, chuckling nervously under her breath. 

“Thanks,” she breathed, rubbing the back of her head. They seemed to take notice of her bashfulness and shot her a grin, shifting in their seat. 

“Oh, by the way -- I forgot to give you this yesterday,” Blóð remembered, turning in their seat as they reached for something behind them. Grim perked up, trying to peek around them to see what they were grabbing. “I wanted to get you a little gift for placing really well in the match yesterday.” 

They turned back around with a small wrapped box and held it out for her, which she grabbed with a growing smile on her face. She went back and forth eyeing the box and back up to Blóð before carefully grabbing it from them. 

“I figured it would match your kunai, and I have one similar that goes with my prized possession,” they explained, actually seeming bashful. She pulled her lip between her teeth and hesitated, her stomach twisting with excitement. But she couldn’t contain the excitement much longer before she tore the wrapping and opened the clamshell box, finding herself welcomed to a necklace with a small charm, the size and shape similar to that of an arrowhead, although the colouring was exactly the same as her kunai made with wood and resin. 

With a grin on her face, she beamed up to Blóð and back down to the necklace, fingering it gently. She carefully took it out of the box, and held the string between her fingers in one hand whilst resting the pendant on the palm of the other. 

“Blóð, this is beautiful,” she whispered, twisting it around as she observed it in awe. 

“You really like it?” they asked, their breath caught in their throat. She could feel the vulnerability, their worry that she might not be pleased with it. 

She looked up to them and nodded slightly, holding it to her chest. They beamed when she confirmed she did in fact like it and seemed to visibly relax. They gestured towards it, holding a hand out, “would you like help putting it on?” 

She mouthed a yes, handing it to them and turning slightly so they could get the string around her neck, tensing when their fingers brushed the nape of her neck to clip it. She turned back around, her hand instantly grasping it carefully where it sat just below her collar bone. 

“Thank you Blóð, this is really . . . it’s amazing,” she beamed, closing the space between them to wrap them in a hug, feeling them put their arms around her waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for how "little" the actual mention of today's theme was! it was a small gesture but I still enjoy the little wraithhound fluff moment I got out of it! reference for what the pendant looks like is [here](https://www.etsy.com/jp/listing/640167260/pendant-crystal-arrowhead-glowing)


	5. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is . . . _a lot_ shorter than the last couple of chapters, but I figured I’d capture a short and sweet moment! I hope y’all enjoy <3

Grim had found herself headed to the commons more often, the legends slowly warming back up to her after her incident. Elliot and Anita were more resilient, and both were very helpful in keeping her sane. She appreciated how comfortable they had been getting with each other. 

All three of them spread out; Grim curled up against the armrest of the love seat, Anita in the recliner, and Elliot sprawled out on a bean bag chair in a way that couldn't quite be comfortable. Some reality show was on in the background that Elliot insisted on watching, much to Grim and Anita's protests. 

“Neets, it’s required watching; everyone has their guilty pleasure,” Elliot insisted, his eyes glued to the television despite being fully engulfed in the conversation. Anita shook her head in Grims directions and she couldn’t help but giggle, covering her mouth. 

Resting her hand over the pendant around her neck, she twisted it carefully between her fingers and let her head rest against the back of the couch. The bickering continued between the two of them, as Anita continued to pester Elliot about his television choices. 

Grim was happy at how natural this all felt, at how much of a family the three of them seemed to be becoming. 

With Blóð too, but it felt a little different with them. Something not quite platonic, but something she couldn’t quite place her finger on. 

Shaking the thoughts from her head for the time being, she had herself focus on the activities in front of her, and how content they made her feel.


	6. Noise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys will see Blóð call Grim "liten en", which (google) translates from Norwegian into "little one", which I had them call her that (in english) in a previous chapter. Figured I'd use the Norwegian translation for it rather than keep it in english.

Grim was having a nightmare. 

She was strapped down to a medical bed in the middle of a room, her arms crossed over her chest due to the straitjacket she wore. The room was dim lit with the exception of a ring light positioned over her. Doctors scattered around the room, all discoursing about something that involved what they were going to do to her. None of the conversations struck out to her, but they all meshed together and kept getting louder as each group of doctors attempted to talk over each other. 

She struggled against her restraints, her inability to tune out these conversations adding to the stress; the stress of her situation, her desire to escape but being unable to, the voices in her own head pestering her on what to do, how to get out, how inadequate she was for getting into the situation in the first place. 

vIt was all overwhelming and driving her senses into overload, causing her to yell out and push even harder against the restraints, which in turn shook the bed. Without warning, the whirring of a medical saw came from behind her. 

“Let’s cut her open, see what we can do to get her back to normal.” 

And so she screamed. 

Waking herself up from the dream in a cold sweat, sitting up almost immediately upon waking. Her heart was racing, the room seeming to close in on her and the air getting more difficult to breath. The voices in her head continued, the sound of multiple whispering and murmuring over top of each other. 

Grim pressed the palms of her hands to her temples and squeezed gently, bringing her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. 

“God, shut up, just shut up,” she muttered under her breath, not even able to process her dream with all the noise in her head. The whole situation was driving her crazy -- it had been about a month since she had arrived, and she thought she was doing better. She had been doing really well in the games, having gone through two more without an issue similar to that she had with Elliot. 

Occasionally she would have a little hiccup, but Blóð would usually be there to help if she asked, and calmed her down or distracted her if needed. Same with Anita. 

She took a couple moments to get herself together, trying to control her breathing until her voices simmered down and weren’t so loud and distracting. Once they did, she kicked the remaining covers from her legs that weren’t already kicked off in her sleep, and stood from the bed, mindlessly making her way down the corridor of rooms until she reached Blóð’s. 

She raised her hand to gently knock on the door but hesitated, a voice in her head whispering _‘don’t bother, they’re trying to sleep’_ , _‘leave them be, they don’t want to be bothered’_ , and continued to feed her reasons why she shouldn’t go knocking on their door so late. She inhaled a shaky breath and held it, telling herself not to believe the voices, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel guilt at coming to their door at god knew what time it was -- definitely still time for them to be sleeping. 

She slowly lowered her hand and chewed on her bottom lip, wondering if this could, in fact, wait until morning. And so she shook her head at herself and turned on her heel to leave, muttering “is really stupid, why would anyone want someone bothering them at this time?” 

But before she could even make it two steps, the door very carefully opened a crack, just enough for Blóð to crack their head through. Grim stiffened, turning slightly and staring at the floor. 

“Artur started getting antsy -- he usually does when someone comes to the door,” Blóð whispered, opening the door just a touch more but still hidden in the shadows of the room. Her silence must’ve noted them to her discomfort, because they immediately assessed the situation and stepped over the threshold a bit. “What’s the matter? Is everything alright?” 

She shook her head tensely, furrowing her brows as she felt tears spring in her eyes, her throat feeling tight. She looked up to them, momentarily surprised to find them wearing nothing to cover their face. She twisted her mouth as tears spilled over onto her cheeks, finally breaking due to the tension. 

“It’s -- I’ll be fine, I didn’t mean to wake you; I can come back in the morning. . .” she trailed off, looking away from them. She was embarrassed about the fact that she even came at all, and felt guilty for invading their privacy when they least expected it, catching them without any coverings on their face. 

But before she could turn to leave, Blóð softly caught her arm and pulled her to them with an embrace, holding the back of her head with one hand and running the other up and down her back the way she liked. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around their middle and pressed her face into their neck, letting out a sob. She could hear them gently shushing her, although without rude intentions, giving her a small squeeze and holding. 

“Let’s get out of the hallway,” they suggested, still whispering. She nodded, unwrapping herself from them and letting them lead her into the room. A small lamp on their bedside table gave a soft, warm glow to the small corner of the room where their bed was but barely reached the rest of the room. 

She could hear Artur shifting in his cage, squawking softly at the intrusion, probably unused to having company at this hour. Blóð calmed him down before sitting her down on the bed and positioning themself in front of her with one leg bent and the other hanging off the edge. Tentatively, they reached for her face and brushed their thumbs across her cheeks to wipe away her tears before letting them rest at each side of her neck. 

Their skin was warm against hers, although she could feel the calluses on their hands as they brushed against her face and neck. She found it hard to look them in the eye, like she was stepping over boundaries they weren’t ready to cross. But they poised a hand under her chin and gently pressed so she would catch their eyes. 

“It’s okay,” they breathed, giving her a reassuring smile, and she knew that they weren’t, at least for the moment, talking about her worries. It was a vulnerable moment, for them to suddenly let her see them bare faced. She nodded, twisting her mouth slightly. 

She sniffed, wiping her nose with her sleeve, before leaning into them again and wrapping her arms around their shoulders, feeling them snake theirs around her waist and pulling her into their lap. 

They sat that way in silence, the thrum of Blóð’s heartbeat and the evenness of their breath helping calm her down, the smell of their incense that lingered on their clothes familiar to her. 

“So what’s bothering you, liten en?” they murmured against her shoulder, continuing to run their hand up and down her back. She pulled back slightly to see them face to face, tucking some of the longer strands of her hair behind her ear. She went on to explain to them her dream, and how overwhelmed she felt once she woke up, how difficult it was to shake it. 

Carefully, Blóð brushed a hand over her ear and rested it on her neck, running their thumb over the skin there, sending shivers through her body. She inhaled slowly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. 

“Do you want to stay here and try to get some sleep?” they suggested, searching her face with caring eyes. She nodded softly, tucking her head down. Carefully, they pressed their forehead to hers and played with the hair at the nape of her neck. 

“That’s fine,” they murmured, a small smile pulling at the corner of their lips. They pulled away from her and brushed their lips against her forehead before detangling themselves from each other, Blóð helping pull back the covers of the bed and slipping in on the side flushed up against the wall so Grim could take the outside. 

Grim shifted a bit before resting with her back to Blóð, a couple inches of space between them. She hit the light, letting the comfortable silence fall between them. She had felt herself falling into sleep when, just barely, she felt Blóð rest their hand on her side and gently rub their thumb in circles, the rhythm helping her fall asleep soundly.


	7. Mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of the look I was going for [here](https://www.instagram.com/p/B9U3DUKjvr3/?igshid=1x4znjj0xk8dc) (hairstyle wise) for Blóð when they were hiking!

The next morning, Grim had awoken, very slowly, with Blóð curled against her back, their arm loosely strung over her waist. She inhaled slowly as she stretched, careful so as not to wake Blóð. She turned very gently, Blóð’s arm now resting on her belly, to catch them still in sleep. She smiled softly as she observed them, surprised that they were still asleep; they were usually an early riser. 

They had a strong jaw, but not wide, high cheekbones with almond shaped eyes, and a thin, long nose. A mixture of details that worked well together. Their sandy blonde hair, a little wavy in spots but mostly straight, probably an inch past their shoulders spread out on the pillow underneath them. 

It didn’t take long, though, for them to wake, their breath coming faster. They opened their eyes, taking a few moments for the grogginess to fade before they noticed Grim was also awake. They smiled with a groan, pulling their arm from around her waist to lay on their back and rub their eyes, chuckling softly. 

“Good morning,” they mumbled, stretching in place. Grim smirked slightly, propping her elbow on her pillow to hold her head up. 

“Morning,” she said, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. 

“How’d you sleep?” they asked, resting their arms above their head on the pillow. She had to try hard not to stare, catching a couple tattoos on their upper arms that she had missed the night before. 

“A lot better,” she murmured, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smile. Blóð reciprocated the smile, humming softly. 

“That’s good, I’m really glad.” Grim nodded, sitting up in her spot. 

“I feel really comfortable in here, with you,” she admitted, looking over her shoulder to Blóð. They way they were watching her, with a kind of . . . compassion and acceptance, causing her heart to flutter. 

“It makes me happy to hear that,” they murmured, sitting up alongside her. “It’s equally as nice to have someone around who kind of goes at the same pace as me; who doesn’t mind hanging out in our little space and just enjoy the company.” 

She felt her face flush at the compliment, bashfully looking into her lap as she tried to hide it. They didn’t comment on it, whenever they made her flush, which she appreciated. They stayed quiet and usually changed the subject shortly thereafter. 

“If you’d like, we can head to the dining area and get some breakfast; if you’d like afterwards, we can come back here for some peace and quiet,” they suggested, watching her. She nodded, looking up to Artur, who seemed to still be resting. 

“Yeah, we can do that,” she murmured, chewing on the inside of her cheek. 

“Unless there’s something else you’d like to do?” they offered, kicking the blankets from their legs and standing to check on Artur. In all honesty, despite sleeping much better after coming here to Blóð’s room, she’d be lying if she said the dream still didn’t linger, didn’t bother her. She kind of just wanted a distraction. 

“I don’t mind going down to get breakfast; I guess I just wouldn’t mind getting out of the compound for the day; get some fresh air,” she mused, picking at her fingernails in her lap. Blóð nodded as they tended to Artur in the cage, whistling under their breath and cooing at him. When they finished with Artur, checking if he had ample enough food and water, they let the cage latch open and sat on the bed in front of Grim. 

“We can do that,” they affirmed, resting a hand on her knee gently. “I know a good hiking spot we can go to with easy trails that has nice scenery.” 

She thought about the idea of Blóð spending their time out in nature, finding the perfect trails and spending hours appreciating nature and the quiet. She broke out in a smile, meeting their gaze. 

“I’d like that a lot,” she nodded, feeling a warmth spread through her at the smile that came across Blóð’s unmasked face. 

* * * 

They had eaten and gotten ready to get on the road by noon. When they arrived at the park to hike, the parking lot was practically empty. Grim was glad, their chances of running into anyone slim. 

She had worn her usual skinny jeans and a loose tee, complete with combat boots for comfort. They both had made their way through the first trail they came across, the trees becoming more dense the farther they hiked. 

The conversation between them was light, although she wasn’t detesting, as they took in the sights, occasionally stopping to watch a family of deer or if Blóð wanted to listen for certain animal calls. The hike definitely helped her think and sort through what was on her mind. 

Eventually, they came upon a clearing set with some wooden benches for hikers who might need to rest, but showing no other signs that it could be a stopping point. 

Grim took a moment to rest her legs and stretch, and to enjoy the scenery here. She approached a bench and brushed off some debri to sit, setting her hands on her knees and resting her weight on them. 

“This place is really beautiful,” she breathed, watching Blóð lost in their own kind of trance as they listened and observed. They nodded slightly, in a way that said they heard her but was occupied with what they were listening for. 

Eventually, when they were finished listening for certain calls, they took a seat next to Grim, sighing softly. 

They had removed anything masking their face again since they had left the compound, braids done around their hair. It was striking to her, being able to see Blóð’s expressions to their fullest extent. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Grim asked, shifting in the seat. She turned her head slightly to face Blóð, twisting her mouth. “Of course,” they murmured, brushing some hair from their face. 

“I have no intention of this coming off rude — and it’s really none of my business, so feel free to tell me if I’m crossing boundaries here — but what’s the whole ordeal with the mask? Especially using it around the other legends?” Grim asked, meeting Blóð’s gaze. 

They smiled, humming softly. “It’s always been an identity thing,” they began to explain, “ever since I was young. When I was training to hunt, it mainly consisted of protective gear. The village I was raised in on Talos, I had to defeat this beast in a rite of passage, and in doing so I gained a serious reputation; one that carried with me wherever I went. 

“When traveling, the mask was something I wore when scouting areas and hunting for game — something that became a part of the motif, if you will. When villagers talked of this ‘mysterious hunter’, they didn’t see the human behind the mask, but simply a being who could tame ginormous beasts and take down any obstacle that got in their way. 

“When I’m out there, in the games, the mask creates a wall between Blóðhundr the Goliath whisperer, and me,” they explained, resting their weight on their elbows with their hands clasped as they eyes the ground in front of them. 

“Blóð, that sounds . . . impeccable,” Grim whispered, watching them in awe. She blinked, following their gaze. 

“It was a weight I have carried for a generously long time,” they concurred, nodding slowly. After several pauses, Blóð let out a hefty sigh and stood, stretching as they did so. Grim followed them with her gaze, following suit shortly after. 

“Thank you, for telling me that,” she murmured, crossing her arms loosely. Blóð nodded, the corner of their mouth twitching into a smile. She returned the gesture, searching their face to see what they were feeling, although they remained impassive. She found herself meeting their gaze, their hazel eyes seeming to do the same.


	8. Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised this was going to be a wraithhound fic, and we’re _finally_ getting there! hope you all enjoy!

She was getting better. 

Her outbreaks were occurring much less frequently, at least those brought out by the violence that was naturally involved with the games. She was still having dreams a couple nights into the week, which made it difficult to get through the day following it. 

She was grateful, though, for the nights that Blóð would have her stay the night. They’d offer her a cup of lavender tea with a spoonful of honey, light some incense that had grown to be her favourite, and she’d sit on the bed while Artur kept her company; Blóð keeping themselves busy with small tasks around the room. 

She had professional help, of course, once a week as requested, after her incident with Elliot. She knew she had trauma she needed to deal with, and she figured it could help uncover any memories that she had forgotten if she just talked. 

But the nights with Blóð helped keep her spirits high, and Artur was definitely the entertainer. He’d hop and jump all over the bed, all in the hopes that she’d give him a treat or, at the very least, some rubs up and down his neck. 

“I’m starting to get a little jealous,” Blóð admitted one night, Artur perched on Grims shoulder as he rubbed up against her. They shot her a smirk over their shoulder, hands still busy with what they were hanging on the wall. She giggled as she used a finger to scritch under Artur’s chin, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “He’s used to the other legends, but he’s never this sociable or comfortable with them like you.” 

Grim clicked her tongue to the back of her front teeth as she continued to ogle over Artur. 

“Well, maybe I’m just special,” she teased, chuckling softly under her breath. 

Blóð finished up with their task before tidying up their space and plopping onto the bed in front of Grim, a small, amusing smile lighting up their features as they watched Grim interact with Artur. 

“You really are though,” they murmured, lost in a trance. 

Grim quirked a brow in surprise at the comment, more because it was said genuinely and not in a similarly teasing manner. She hummed her appreciation, Artur fluffing his feathers before hopping off her shoulder at the lack of attention and landed elsewhere in the room. 

“You’ve come a long way since I’ve first met you; you’re becoming this amazing woman, blossoming into your own person,” they complimented, tilting their head with a soft chuckle. She couldn’t tell if it was the lighting, or if she was just seeing things, but she could’ve sworn they were blushing; it took a lot to make Blóð bashful, but it seemed to happen whenever they complimented her. 

“Your recovery from the facilities treatments have been great, too — you’re making such great progress,” they beamed, leaning forward onto their elbows which rested on their knees. 

She pressed her head into her shoulder as she flushed, nudging Blóð’s knee gently. 

“Stop it,” she murmured, chuckling softly. 

“I mean it,” they stated matter-of-fact. “I’m really proud of you.” 

She looked bashfully into her lap as she fiddled her thumbs, her stomach in knots. She wasn’t sheepish over the fact that she didn’t believe them; it was just . . . different hearing someone else admit that they saw this positive change in her. 

She met Blóð’s gaze, their eyes just catching the light from their bedside lamp. She could find herself getting lost in their eyes for a long time, finding solace there. 

Without warning, Blóð reached forward for her face and snaked their hand behind her neck, tangling their fingers in her hair before carefully pulling her forward and connecting their mouths. Grim inhaled sharply, feeling like she was suspended in time but also like she didn’t have enough time to process what was happening. 

Seconds passed before they pulled away for air, only to go in for another kiss right after. Grim felt like her whole body exploded with nerves, her stomach jumping into her throat. Their lips were soft and plump against hers, their fingers warm as they brushed against the back of her neck. 

Just as quickly as it came, they pulled away again, their breath hefty as they rested their forehead against Grims. They kept their hand against her neck, their other hand cradling her jaw. 

“I’m sorry,” they breathed after a few moments of silence, eyes still drafted downwards. Grim shook her head ever so slightly, nudging her nose gently against Blóð’s. 

“Don’t be,” she assured, watching them with half lidded eyes. “I’m definitely not protesting against this.” 

Grim, whose hands were shaking slightly due to how nervous she was, reached up to brush her thumb gently across Blóð’s bottom lip. She heard them gasp at the touch before finally looking up to meet her eyes. 

“Are you sure?” they asked again, their voice just barely above a whisper. She nodded slightly, a hint of a smile on her lips. Blóð returned the smile before leaning in to kiss her again, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her into their lap, causing Grim to giggle into the kiss. 

In a swift movement, Blóð hoisted her up to lay her down onto the pillows and lean over top of them, cupping her cheek as they continued, reaching for the lamp on their bedside to turn off the light.


	9. Weapons

Grim had awoken the next morning to find herself alone in bed, sprawled along both pillows. She pulled herself up from the linen, propping herself onto her elbow. Artur was also gone from his cage, and as she began assessing the room, memories from the night before began slowly flooding back into her brain. The way Blóð caressed her, softly but with enough passion; the way they kissed her, the weight of their lips like a ghost impression on hers. 

She groaned, a smile slowly stretching over her lips as she tossed and turned in bed before deciding to throw the covers off her legs, quickly returning to her room to get ready for training. 

* * * 

After Grim had dressed in appropriate attire for training, she escorted herself down to the training room, hoping to catch Neets to get some boxing practice in before they ran drills. Neets had been a great workout partner since the start, kicking Grim into shape and continuing to push her harder and harder every day. 

As she approached the double doors, she saw Neets alongside Elliot, Ajay, and somebody she didn’t recognize; a skinny, short guy with a buzzed undercut that faded into longer hair on top, a striking electric green color. He wore basketball shorts and a cropped men’s tank top, gesturing wildly as he spoke to the group. 

Grim raised a brow as she slowly approached, tilting her head at Neets and pointing conspicuously in his direction. She remained stoic except for the fact that her mouth twitched slightly in the hopes to hide a smirk or grin. 

“Wraith, this is Octane,” she introduced, although her introductions were cut short when he just barely stopped to say hello before delving back into his story. Grim couldn’t help but chuckle underneath her breath, shifting her weight onto her left foot as she loosely crossed her arms. 

“We were thinking of heading to the firing range today, show Octane here the ropes around the weapons he’ll find in the arena — you’re more than welcome to join us,” Neets offered, leaning up against the wall. Grim nodded, attempting to engage in the conversation but finding herself only half listening. 

Movement in her peripheral caught her eye and she turned to see what was there; finding Blóð alongside Caustic and Gibby, slowly making their way into the gym. She caught Blóð’s eye and grinned slightly, wiggling her fingers in their direction as she scrunched her face at them. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, watching them a little longer as her stomach twisted with nerves. She wished she could meet with them in their private balcony, and just forget about training for the day. 

But before she could even fathom pulling herself away to do so, Neets gently nudged her elbow to get her attention, causing Grim to blink slightly and turn back to the group. 

“Hey, you okay?” Neets asked, concern written over her face. 

“No, yeah — I’m fine! I just got distracted, sorry,” Grim murmured, chuckling at herself as she rubbed the nape of her neck. She quickly glanced back over her shoulder, giving Blóð one last glimpse before keeping her attention on Neets, who raised a brow in suspicion as she looked between Grim and Blóð and back, seeming speculative. 

Grim shuffled her feet as she tried to remain nonchalant, looking everywhere except in Neets’ direction. 

* * * 

They had finally made it to the firing range, all lined up and geared with the proper equipment. Grim had grabbed a carbine and wingman to practice with, strictly keeping to the target dummies to shoot at instead of practicing with friendly fire like a couple others. 

Neets stood on the platform beside her, sticking to a similar routine. They had practiced in silence, going a while before Neets decided to converse. 

“So,” she started, reloading her weapon before grabbing more ammo to keep in her backpack. “Are you and bloodhound, like, a thing now?” 

Grim jerked her head back from her iron sight and removed her finger from the trigger of her weapon, resting it at her hip. 

“What makes you say that?” she asked, looking over to Neets with a questionable expression. She knew Neets wasn’t exactly _wrong_ , but for her to catch on with so little public clues; how long would it take for the other legends to do so? 

It’s not like her and Blóð were exactly hiding how well they got along since she had first come to the compound — but it wasn’t until recently that they seemed to gravitate closer to each other. 

Neets playfully rolled her eyes, shooting a clip of her 99 before quickly switching out to her RE-45 and emptying a clip of that as well to down that round of dummies. 

“I mean, I know the other legends don’t see it yet, but I’m just observant,” she mused, reloading both weapons but keeping them at her hip as well. “It’s not like you both are pining for each other at every chance you get. But I can tell when two people gravitate towards each other.” 

Grim just looked off in the distance, feeling herself flush. She didn’t need to admit it out loud for Neets to know that she guessed correctly, and chuckled softly under her breath as she resumed where she left off with her training dummies. 

“Yeah,” Grim started, “yeah, I think we are.”


	10. Truth

A couple days later, the legends were heading into another match. Grim was paired with Ajay and Anita, much to her surprise. They were performing pretty well so far, a couple kills under their belt. After getting third partied, they escaped by the skin of their teeth via her portal to leave the two teams to fend for themselves. Anita guided them in front and Grim in the back, Ajay in between them, as they moved as a unit. They found it easier to surprise attack a team this way or even keep themselves somewhat grounded if a team gained on them unexpectedly; they worked well like that, and seemed to know where to go and what to do with little communication. Grim appreciated participating with them to last long and perform decently, regardless if they came out on top. 

So when they seemed to be passing through the area of the labs from which she initially escaped from, she began lagging behind slightly, watching it expectantly. A need to explore kept her grounded and surveying the area, but also the thought of returning to loot caused the palms of her hands to sweat, the idea of what she might find involving her past causing her heart to flutter out of nervousness. 

“Wraith!” Anita called out to her, several paces ahead with Ajay lingering but scouting the area. Grims head shot in her direction, her breath hitched in her throat. Anita gestured for her to keep following, about to turn around and continue running without another word until Grim shook her head, pointing towards the labs. 

“Can we check this place out first?” she suggested, stepping towards it. Anita looked skeptical, quickly scanning the area for any threats that may have arrived in the short amount of time it took for them to have this conversation. 

“I don’t think that’s too smart,” she commented, looking over her shoulder in the direction they originally intended. “We need to continue North East to circle so we can survey the area and camp if needed for anyone coming in from the storm; and besides, we don’t know if it’s been picked through or if there are hostiles in the area.” 

Grim turned to stare at the labs, a deep need inside her pulling her towards it. 

“Let’s check it out,” Ajay chimed in, hopping down from her perch, gently grabbing Anita’s elbow to guide her down to the labs. “In and out real fast, a quick walkthrough, and then we can continue to our intended objective.” 

Anita sighed and began to protest, but Grim didn’t hear it as she jogged inside, using both hands to open the big double doors and skipped down the stairs. Her heart was hammering in her chest, but she tried shutting down her body's reaction to the trauma she was remembering from this place. 

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she continued to the right and peeked into a few windows, nothing substantial or out of the ordinary really jumping out to her. Until she saw a door blocked by debris with what seemed like a couple computers behind it, a couple electrical wires hanging from the ceiling and fizzing. 

Without thought, she began kicking the door in — once, and then twice — before the doors gave in and she hopped over the debris. Most of the computers were trapped behind a glass, but she found a laptop out in the open, with what seemed like an access screen open. 

She pressed the spacebar and the laptop whizzed to life, her breath catching in her throat. She attached her carbine to its holster on her back as she bent over the laptop to playback what seemed like an audio file open on the screen. 

“Wraith, hurry! We need to leave asap,” Anita called from another room, both their footsteps shuffling around the hallways as they seemed to do a quick sweep of the place. 

“Yeah, one minute,” she called out, clicking the play button on the audio file. 

**“Senior Science Pilot Renee Blasey, first report.”**

She gasped, her eyes gone wide. That — that was her voice! This must have been the voidwalker that saved her from her dimension. 

**“. . .has been approved by the IMC’s ARES Division. My colleague, Dr. Singh, has his suspicions about them. . .”**

Her breath hitched, the name Singh echoing in her head. He was the head doctor that led the experiments performed on her, the one that the Voidwalker seemed to be after in her dimension. So . . . how could they have been colleagues? 

“Wraith! We’ve got to leave, _**now!**_ ” Anita called from over the threshold, causing Grim to jump. Without a second to process much of this new information, a faint scan covered the area and Grim groaned in frustration, knowing she would hear about this later from Neets. 

Quickly, Grim reached for her wingman and held it pointing at the floor until they knew threats were within firing range, just like Neets taught her. Although that didn’t seem to be an issue, as Octane came rushing in at a fast pace, holding what looked like a prowler in his hand and aiming down sight. 

In a flash, Ajay held the rear to keep watch of the stairs as Grim and Anita pushed for the oncoming threat. With a couple shots to the shoulders, Grim had downed Octane, Anita assessing the next wave that might be a threat to them. 

“Push forward!” she ordered, Grim keeping to the left side of the wall while Anita kept to the right, Ajay bringing up the rear as she took care of Octane. 

“That’s what you get, Silva, for rushing in without ya teammates!” she giggled, catching up to them. At the top of the stairs, Grim caught sight of Blóð strafing from behind one side of the threshold. 

If she hadn’t just heard what she had over the laptop, her stomach seemed to be filled with cement, she’d probably take enjoyment of the friendly competition with Blóð at this moment. But she was ready to get out of this fight and keep pushing forward. 

Blóð cocked their weapon and began aiming as the third teammate threw in grenades from somewhere farther back. Anita attempted to draw Blóð’s fire, a distraction Grim knew all too well. 

Carefully, she dipped a little farther back into the labs and pressed a button on the mechanic of her arm to open one side of her portal, immediately phasing as well so she could make it up the stairs without receiving damage and create an escape route so they wouldn't be stuck with their backs to a wall. 

As soon as her phase ended, she pushed forward to find a higher spot to keep watch as Anita and Ajay made it through the portal and both ran towards the swamps. Through her scope, Grim saw another team sliding down the incline towards Blóð and their third teammate, and took the initiative to escape with Ajay and Anita. 

A couple minutes of gunfire occurred as they made camp in a nearby house in the swamps to heal up and reassess the situation. 

“Once those two teams get finished fighting, there’s a high probability the remaining team will push forward to us and we’ve got to use the element of surprise to our advantage,” Neets started, kneeling near a window to keep eyes on all entry ways towards their house. “They don’t know how far into swamps we came, nor which house we’re in, although it won’t be hard for them to find if they approach here first. Don’t attack unless provoked, but be ready to push if the element of surprise is in our favour.” 

Ajay and Grim nodded as the gunfire seemed to have ceased in the distance. Over the speakers throughout the arena, the announcer boomed, “the last two teams remain to fight to the death.” 

Grim inhaled and exhaled slowly, hoping to calm herself down after the entire situation. In the distance, she saw two figures running towards the swamps, making out Blóð and Caustic. Octane was nowhere to be seen, meaning they were willing to take the risk of fighting 2v3 and pushing forward on them. 

They have the advantage of being able to rush them in the house, an enclosed space an advantage for Caustic, who could make a house like this one a claustrophobic nightmare. Blóð would be able to see where they were if they timed their scan and ultimate right, rendering Anita’s smoke practically useless. Unless they could catch the two outside at the right time for Anita to use her ultimate and gain on them, it was going to be a tricky fight. 

“On my call, we’re going to push outside and try to catch them in the back, since they seem to be neglecting coming into the house,” Anita whispered, nodding her head to imply that she wanted them to head down the stairs. 

Crouched and stepping silently, they made their way outside where they caught Blóð and Caustic in a corner, their backs against a cliff. Anita tossed her ultimate in their direction as Ajay and Grim followed her on either side to spread out, neglecting escape from either side. 

Grim heard Caustic toss a couple of his gas traps into the field, granting area denial to slow their push, given that Anita’s missiles would set them off. 

On either side of them, Anita popped off her smoke screen to hinder their escape, pushing to the right towards Caustic with Ajay following behind. Grim almost followed suit, but decided to go after Blóð at the last minute to hopefully take care of them if Ajay and Anita could handle Caustic on their own. 

Grim heard a loud growl followed by the hum of a low purring, the smoke from Anita’s canister hindering her view. Before she could fully register where Blóð was, she heard them charge towards her and swing their axe down at her full force. It clipped her left shoulder before she could completely jump out of the way, clutching her carbine in the process. 

With the adrenaline of the fight, she barely felt the impact of the axe, but had a difficult time aiming her carbine because of it; so she sheathed it and pulled out her wingman, which she had a slightly easier time aiming and shooting one handed, although still not as accurate as she would have liked. 

She had gotten a couple shots off before a frag grenade from the distance fell between them and exploded, blowing Blóð back off their feet. She took the distraction as a means to push towards them and straddle them, using the handle of the wingman to knock them unconscious. 

Just as quickly as she did so, the announcer was beaming over the intercom. 

“We have our Apex Champions!” 

* * * 

Grim was in the infirmary almost immediately after the match, unable to shower or clean up due to the severity of the injury on her shoulder. 

The wound needed stitching, which luckily was the only big repair that seemed to need taken care of, as the nurse kept reminding her. She was lucky it wasn’t any closer inwards toward her neck, where it could have connected and possibly hit her shoulder bone or a big artery. The scar, though, as the nurse kept reminding her, probably wouldn’t be pretty. 

After fitting her to a sling to keep the weight off her shoulder, she was allowed to leave with mild pain medication so long as she’d come back in a week for the nurse to check if the stitches were healing fine. 

With great relief, Grim beelined for the locker rooms to shower (very carefully due to her shoulder) and change into the clean clothes she had left in her locker before the match. 

Without a second thought, once she got changed and put the sling back on, she headed towards her and Blóð’s balcony. She had run into a couple legends and other passerbyers on the way who congratulated her on her first win, which she thanked them tremendously for. 

When she made it to her destination, she saw Blóð leaning their weight onto their elbows over the railing, seemingly lost in thought. They usually heard her approach immediately and would turn to greet her, but they had stayed poised. 

It was the first time they had been completely alone since the night they kissed, and there was a lot that had happened since then that she wanted to talk about. 

“Blóð?” she whispered, gently resting her right hand onto their left shoulder as she approached them. They jumped slightly as they came to, inhaling sharply. She pulled her hand away as she curled into herself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. You didn’t seem to notice that I walked up.” 

They were without their mask now that the match was over and the legends were finished talking to the press. They seemed to wear their mask less and less when they were in private or with her. One look at their face showed distress; their brows furrowed, mouth in a tight line, their shoulders tense. 

“What’s the matter?” she asked, reaching out to console them, to rest her hand on their arm, but falling short when they turned away slightly. They eyed her shoulder conspicuously, the bandaging visible due to her wearing a tank top. 

“Blóð,” she whispered, stepping forward when she understood the reasoning for the way they were feeling. “It’s alright.” 

“No, it’s not,” they persisted, reaching out to brush their fingers ever so carefully over her bandaging. “That shouldn’t have happened, I shouldn’t have let myself hurt you like that.” 

She didn’t comment right away, watching them with a sorrowful expression. Eventually, she stepped into their space and ran her hand up their chest and over their shoulder to pull them close, digging her face into their neck and inhaling. 

“Please don’t beat yourself up over it — I promise, I’m fine; I don’t hold this against you,” she murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to the skin where their neck and shoulder met. 

Slowly, and gently, they wrapped their arms around her and encompassed her, inhaling slowly before letting out a shaky sigh. 

“The last time I got in over my head like that, I lost someone very close to me,” they breathed, pulling back from her embrace to meet her eyes, pressing a hand to her cheek. “Artur is all I have left of them.” 

Grim watched Blóð carefully, closing her eyes as she turned her face to press a kiss to the inside of their wrist, pressing her hand to theirs. 

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” she promised, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m really sorry that that happened to you.” 

Blóðs eyes grew glossy with tears, and Grim pressed a hand to their cheek before pulling them to her once more, holding them and rocking them until they didn’t want to be held any longer.


	11. Shield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspiration for Grims dress [here](https://i.imgur.com/4ElxxIA.jpg)  
> we’ve got a very NSFW chapter ahead!  
> I’d like to make note of something here at the beginning of the chapter, or mainly just preface it by saying: Bloodhound being nonbinary, I in no way force gender roles on them, and as far as bodily anatomy goes, do not claim that, canonically, their body is one way or the other. many people I know HC Blóð as intersex, or having both male and female genitalia.  
> for myself, I HC Blóð to have male dominant genitalia despite how they identify / present themselves outwardly. this is not meant disrespectfully, nor am I implying that this is canonically correct. as a trans male, I simply project onto Blóð in that aspect of bodily anatomy.

Her wound seemed to feel much worse as the days went on before it started to feel better. It was constantly sore, difficult to move or do anything without it hurting, and she didn’t like taking the pain pills too often because it gave her the same groggy feeling from when she was being held and sedated at the IMC facility. All in all, the recovery process was difficult, but she pushed herself through it in fear of seeming like she couldn’t handle it. 

She hadn’t seen Blóð in a couple days since the balcony, at least privately. It scared her that they seemed to be going out of their way to avoid her, most likely not wanting to feel guilt over the accident. She tried reassuring them that it’s a bloodsport, and that injuries are bound to happen. She could empathize because she knew how it felt to be on their end, when she attacked Elliot. But they both were able to approach each other afterwards and make up. 

She just hoped it wouldn’t take too long; she didn’t realize how lonely she felt until she didn’t have her person to talk to. 

* * * 

Grim had to push her worry down, though, when the legends had to appear before press for a semi-formal gathering for their match, especially being the winning team. She’d be in the spotlight, alongside Ajay and Anita, and had to be at her best; no distractions. Hopefully afterward, she would be able to catch up with Blóð and be able to talk. 

She had paraded through her room feverishly trying to find anything formally appropriate she could wear, but falling short. Ajay had warned her that she would need to have proper clothing for events such as these, yet she kept putting it off for whatever reason. 

So it was without surprise that Ajay gave Grim a judgemental look when she appeared at her door, begging for help with what to wear. With zero hesitation, Ajay stepped back to let her through, sitting her on the edge of the bed as she dug through her closet. 

“I’m probably a touch thinner than ya, at least in the hips and bust; so I’ll have to find something that runs a little bigger than what I usually wear,” Ajay mused, flipping through her dresses. Grim had to cringe slightly, the thought of wearing a dress almost unheard of for her. 

“I’d prefer if you have something that could cover up my bandaging,” Grim commented, twitching slightly as she continued to wait. She could only imagine what Ajay would pick out for her, biting at her nails in the process. 

“Ah! Here we go,” Ajay beamed, pulling a hanger from the depths of the closet. It was a black halter dress with a _generous_ V neck, a loose bodice with the skirt long enough for comfort but short enough to show some leg, and three quarter length lace sleeves. That was almost completely see through. 

“Ajay,” Grim breathed, almost sulking. “You’re going to completely be able to see my shoulder. And that V neck leaves practically nothing to the imagination.” 

Ajay sighed dramatically whilst rolling her eyes, extending her hand to guide Grim to her body mirror. 

“It’ll look great on you, I promise!” she started, standing Grim in front of the mirror and positioning the dress in front of her. “And I’ve got amazing bandages that you’ll barely see underneath the lace.” 

Grim sagged her shoulders but took the hanger from Ajay and observed the dress even more. 

“And I can help do your hair and a light makeup look; the press will just eat you right up,” she beamed, turning to go searching through her vanity. 

Twisting her mouth, Grim twisted and turned in the mirror, attempting to imagine what she’d look like in the dress. 

“Go on now, put it on and we can getcha dolled up,” Ajay pushed, giggling when Grim groaned at her enthusiasm. 

* * * 

They had made it to the conference with ease, Grim sticking to Anita’s side. Neither were very social, preferring to stick to people they knew or had at least met before. Ajay had gone to socialize with fans, other legends, and news outlets who were looking to interview some of them. 

Grim felt her hands growing sweaty, having to stop herself from wiping them on her skirt already. Her shoulder had begun throbbing slightly, and the room was growing packed with people that made trying to get anywhere almost impossible. 

She was about ready to escape somewhere quiet and where she could get air, until she caught Blóð from across the room, seeming to watch her. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, her stomach flipping with nerves. She wished she could walk her way over and stay by their side, knowing just how to comfort her in a time like this. 

But just as quickly as she caught their eye did they turn away to finish conversing with a woman who seemed to be interviewing them. Grim inhaled sharply, pressing her lips together tightly as she looked away; setting her shoulders back, she continued to follow Anita until they ran into Elliot and Makoa at the bar. 

“Wraith, my girl! Have a drink, you seem tense,” Elliot beamed, pressing a hand to her back as he flagged down the waiter. 

“Mmm, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she hesitated, putting her hands up in a surrender. ”This crowd is already driving me a little nuts, I don’t think adding alcohol to the mix will help.” 

Elliot looked at her skeptically, but Makoa had pressed forward to step into her defense. 

“If she doesn’t want a drink, don’t pressure her, my love,” he pestered, shooting Grim a reassuring smile. She returned the gesture, mouthing a ‘thank you’. He nodded before looking out to the main floor. “Besides, I think the press is ready to interview you guys.” 

Makoa gestured to the center of the room, reporters gathering round. Ajay had already seemed preoccupied with some of them, talking casually and warming them up. Anita nodded, patting Grims upper arm in a comforting gesture as they began walking toward the crowd. 

Grim had scanned the crowd, the eyes of many watching her and Anita meet up with Ajay. Several cameras flashed and she winced, trying hard not to squint for the pictures. Some reporters began waving and calling for their attention, fans as well pushing notepads in their direction to get signed. 

She tried to remind herself to keep her breathing even, hoping she had a decent smile on her face. Reporters called her name, and she turned her head this way and that to try and give attention to all that she could hear. 

“How does it feel, winning your first match?” one called out, and she shrugged slightly. 

“It’s very rewarding, but I definitely couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” she answered, giving a small grin. 

“Is there anything you would have done differently in the endgame?” another called out, and her memory flashed to her insisting they stop to search the labs. 

“Possibly, but you make the best decisions you can in the heat of the —” she began, getting cut off when more insistent reporters began pushing forward and shouting their questions, shoving their microphones closer. The flashing of their cameras seemed to occur more frequently, and she had to put her hand in front of her eyes. 

“How does it feel being the newest legend of the bunch?” 

“Was it difficult for you to adjust to this new lifestyle?” 

“What pushed you to join the Apex games?” 

Countless questions were thrown her way, not giving her a second to process who was asking what, and where she should be focusing her attention. 

“It’s — you know, I . . .” she stuttered, wincing and cringing away from the forced attention. She attempted to back up a couple steps, but came up short when she bumped into someone behind her, unable to turn around or shift sideways and out of the way. 

Before she could formulate an escape, her breath uneven as claustrophobia sunk in, familiar hands gently grasped her elbows to guide her behind them, waving off the reporters to get them to back up. A human shield. 

“Wraith is finished answering questions, but feel free to continue with Ajay and Anita,” Blóð called out, turning to face Grim and guide her through the crowd of people. Several reporters sighed with disappointment, wanting so desperately to interview the newbie. 

Grim, not even registering right away that Blóð was the one who came to her defense, felt herself begin to shake, her eyes filling with tears and breathing became difficult. 

In no time, Blóð had escorted her through a backdoor that brought them through the kitchen, stopping momentarily to ask for a bottled water from a bartender, before continuing to escort her the rest of the way through before they finally made it outside. 

Grim inhaled deeply when the fresh air hit her face, closing her eyes tightly as she rested a hand to her chest, attempting to control her breathing but falling short. 

“Hey,” Blóð said in a hushed tone, gently caressing her shoulders so as not to bother her injured one. Carefully, they led her to the wall so she could lean against it and aided her in bending forward as she rested her hands on her knees. “It’s okay, just inhale and exhale to the count of four.” 

Just barely on the edge of hyperventilating, she felt herself begin to calm down, her heart rate lowering as she took even breaths as Blóð had instructed. 

“You’re okay, you’re safe,” they murmured, rubbing her back gently while still giving her enough space. With a deep inhale, she stood straight so her back was to the wall, tears running down her cheeks. 

“God, my chest hurts,” she breathed, pushing a hand through her hair as her other rested on her neck. 

“It’ll stop shortly, you’re doing great,” they reassured, gently grabbing both her wrists to bring them forward and keep her grounded. She slowly opened her eyes, her breaths coming more evenly. They had removed their mask since they had made it outside, and she immediately met their eyes. Blóð lifted both hands to caress her face, gingerly wiping the tears from her cheeks. 

Without a word, Blóð snaked a hand behind her head to pull her to their chest, immediately helping her relax as she inhaled deeply, their familiar scent filling her nose. 

“I’ve got you — I’m so sorry,” they murmured against her hair, gently pressing a kiss to the top of her head. They didn’t need to elaborate on their apology for her to understand; she was simply happy that they were there to comfort her. 

* * * 

Later that night, Blóð had met her at her room with a light knock on her door, having since changed into gray sweats and a baggy t-shirt to sleep in. She opened the door and without almost no hesitation, she stepped forward and gave them a hug, humming as she pressed herself into their chest. 

When she pulled away slightly, still in their embrace but enough to look up at them, they threaded a hand through her hair and rubbed their thumb in circles over her jaw. She smiled slightly, closing her eyes as she leaned into their touch. With a quick kiss to her forehead, Blóð pulled out of her embrace to close the door behind them. 

She took their hand to guide them to her bed, her blankets already pulled back. Before she could crawl into the covers, they wrapped their arms around her waist from the back and pressed several kisses to the right side of her neck, sending her into a small fit of giggles. Smiling against the sensitive skin, they pressed their face in between her neck and shoulder. 

“You looked really beautiful in that dress tonight,” they breathed, humming against her shoulder as she groaned with a hint of a smile. 

“You’re just saying that,” she dismissed, looking down at them. They shook their head into her shoulder before pressing a kiss to her temple, loosening their grip around her waist so she could turn to face them, wrapping her arms around their neck. 

“I promise, that is not something I would lie about,” they insisted, their voice low and husky as they casted their eyes downward, a flush spreading up their neck. 

Her stomach lurched as her breath caught in her throat, the shift in their tone and body language making her weak in the knees. 

“You really think so?” she asked, her breath just above a whisper. They nodded, shifting their gaze upwards to meet her eyes again. 

“I didn’t want to take my eyes off you,” they mouthed, pulling her closer so their bodies were pressed tightly up against one another. She inhaled sharply, her stomach twisting with nerves. “I didn’t like that so many of the men were staring at you.” 

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, bashfully casting her eyes downward as she felt her cheeks grow warm. She could feel their growing erection press against her thigh, causing her to gasp. Her breathing came uneven as she swallowed, running her thumb up and down the nape of their neck. 

“I think you’d need to take that up with Ajay next time, then,” she admitted, looking up at them through her lashes. “It was her dress.” 

Blóð inhaled slowly, resting their hands on her love handles as they gently squeezed them, pressing their foreheads together. She could tell Blóð felt jealous that they didn’t have her on their arm tonight, but reciprocated that she was only theirs and showed no interest in being with anyone else. 

“God, I just want to _devour_ you,” they groaned under their breath, rubbing circles over her love handles. “I’m trying my hardest to behave myself.” 

She pressed her nose against theirs, their lips just barely brushing in the process. Her stomach wound tightly with nerves, her hands shaking almost violently but in a good way. 

“I’m not stopping you,” she breathed, watching them intently as she felt herself quiver between her thighs. Within a beat, Blóð lifted her up off her feet and laid her down on the bed as they crawled over top of her and in between her legs, rubbing a hand down her thigh and resting in the crook of her knee as they poised it around their waist. 

Grim’s heart was pounding in her chest as they feverishly kissed, Blóð snaking their other hand under her shirt, their fingers just barely brushing underneath her breast. She arched her back at the contact, moaning softly into their mouth. 

“Are you sure?” they whispered when they finally pulled away, hesitating slightly in case she became uncertain. She nodded, her breathing haggard as she pushed a hand through their hair. 

“I want to,” she confirmed, lifting herself up onto her elbow to resume kissing them, which was all the consent they needed before adjusting to pull her shirt up over her head and bringing her back down to the bed. 

The night continued in a feverish yet passionate manner as they continued to remove each other’s clothes and toss them elsewhere in the room, Blóð gingerly running their hands over her body and crevasses like they were admiring the temple dedicated to a goddess. 

They took it slow with her as they discovered all her weak points that made her gasp and moan, especially when they brushed their fingers between her legs to toy with her. Their fingers explored her womanhood, teasing her clit in a calculated manner as they pecked kisses down her neck, sucking and pulling at the skin when doing so. 

She squirmed under them as they played with her, their fingers eventually finding their way inside her and she gasped, her mouth forming an O. 

“Aaahh, Blóð,” she moaned, snaking her hand through their hair and gripping at the nape of their neck. They fingered her nice and slow, carefully pushing in a second finger as they continued to peck kisses to her shoulder. It didn’t take long, their thumb massaging circles into her clit, when she felt something build up in her belly and down her thighs. 

“Oh fuck, Blóð, I’m gonna —” she gasped, not needing to finish her sentence when Blóð nodded into her shoulder, nipping at her earlobe as their other hand teased her breast. She eventually felt herself overflow, her body convulsing underneath Blóð as she achieved orgasm. 

As she came down from her high, they pecked kisses all over, causing her to let out a breathy chuckle. When she had a moment to collect herself, she began reciprocating, linking her pointer fingers in the waistband of their boxer briefs before looking up to them for approval. They nodded slightly, their pupils dilated with excitement. In a swift movement, she pulled the elastic over their erection and pushed them off the rest of the way. 

Carefully, she gave their erection a few lazy pumps before slightly tightening her grip, quickening her pace. Blóð pulled their bottom lip between their teeth as they groaned, a sound deep in their chest, as they dug their face into her neck. They sucked in a breath as she rubbed her thumb over the slit of their election, precum dripping down her finger. 

She quickened her pace, their breathing coming faster as they began moaning more frequently. Eventually, as they rested their forehead against hers, they let out one last loud groan as they spilled their seed over her chest and torso. 

Gently, she pressed the palm of her hand to their cheek as she pressed a light kiss to their lips, both lingering in the aftermath of their orgasms. 

“Was that alright?” she whispered, looking up to them hopefully. They nodded, the corner of their mouth tilting up into a smile. 

“That — that was perfect,” they breathed, rubbing their nose against hers before pressing a couple kisses down her neck, making her giggle.


	12. Ruins

The next morning, Grim had awoken with a slow start, a sense of grogginess overcoming her. The last 24 hours was definitely a blur, but the night before was freshest in her mind. She inhaled deeply, groaning as she began waking up. Her legs were entangled with her bed mates, and she carefully turned to the right face Blóð. They were still asleep, and she smiled softly with a hum, gently brushing their hair back from their temple repeatedly. 

Within a couple moments, Blóð had shifted in place, stretching slightly. With a soft sigh, they snaked an arm around Grims bare waist and pulled her close, dipping their face into her neck, eyes remaining closed. 

“Good morning,” they mumbled, still plagued with sleep. She giggled softly, pressing a soft kiss to their temple. 

“Morning,” she whispered back, running her fingers up and down their back. “How’d you sleep?” 

They squeezed her gently, running their nose along her jaw before coming nose to nose on her pillow, giving her a butterfly kiss. 

“I slept really well, amazing actually,” they murmured, a small grin stretching across their lips. Grim pulled her lip between her teeth to suppress more giggles, resting a hand on their chest. 

“How’s your shoulder?” they asked, just barely brushing their fingers over the skin. They had mostly kept a straight face, but she could tell by looking in their eyes that they still had remnants of guilt over the injury. She ran her fingers down their face and under their chin, making them meet her eyes. 

“It’s doing better; still pretty sore, but it looks worse than it feels,” she reassured, rubbing their noses again before gently pressing a kiss to their lips. “I’ll be seeing the nurse again in a couple days to make sure it’s healing properly.” 

They nodded, pulling her close to cuddle her. She felt even more relaxed in their arms, and let out a comforted sigh. Everything felt right in that moment, and she didn’t want to leave the bed, to ruin the moment. 

* * * 

Eventually, they both had gotten out of bed, and Blóð had the idea to bring her somewhere for the day, but neglected to tell her where, claiming it was a secret. They had wanted to make up for their behavior towards her the days after their last match, claiming the outing would be good for both of them. 

She had instantly recognized the place, the same location where they had gone hiking a couple weeks prior. She tilted her head in confusion, but smiling nonetheless. She definitely enjoyed being out here, the scenery nice, making it a good place to walk and clear her head. 

“The trails from before?” she asked, smirking in their direction. They made a ‘sort of’ gesture with their hand, waving for her to meet them outside of the car. 

“There’s something else here that I hadn’t showed you before, but I think you’d find fun to explore,” they offered, reaching out for her hand which she gladly grabbed, entwining her fingers with theirs. 

She had worn her sling for the trip, much to her protests; but Blóð had insisted, claiming it was the doctor's orders. Besides, they weren’t exactly wrong; the sling helped the pain subside slightly when she had minimal movement of her arm. 

They had taken the same trail as before, walking silently for a couple minutes before Grims curiosity got the best of her. 

“So what are you showing me? Can you please tell me?” she asked, pressing herself closer to Blóð as she flashed her best smile up at them, resting her chin against their shoulder briefly. 

They shook their head disapprovingly but couldn’t help to return the smile, quirking a brow down at her, pressing a finger to her chin. 

“You’ll see soon enough; we do have to go off the trail in a little bit to get there, though,” they offered, gently nudging her onward. She pouted slightly, but remained silent, reminding herself that she just enjoyed being able to spend alone time with Blóð. 

Blóð was right, though, as they came to the part of the trail where they went deeper into the trees yet veering off from the trail. Eventually, after 5 or 10 minutes of walking, Blóð slowed and positioned themselves behind her and rested their chin on her good shoulder, pressing their head to hers. 

“Can you close your eyes for me?” they whispered, resting their hands on her love handles as they pressed a kiss to her cheek. She hummed apprehensively, tilting her head. “You can trust me.” 

She giggled slightly, leaning back into their embrace as she tilted her head back slightly. “I guess so. . .” she teased, closing her eyes yet opening one to peek at them and immediately being reprimanded with a gentle pinch to her sides, sending her into a fit of giggles. 

Carefully, they guided her a bit further until they slowed to a stop, still holding her from behind. 

“Okay,” they breathed, planting a few kisses to her neck that caused her to inhale sharply, their breath warm against her ear. “Open them.” 

She did and was met with what seemed to be an abandoned set of cabins, a small clearing that could have only been a small camp ground of sorts. 

“There’s a couple more cabins about a mile or two away, as well as an abandoned cemetery nearby and a pond with a waterfall,” they described, watching in awe with her. “I think this used to be a commune or village of sorts. I found this one time hiking here when I got curious about what might be just beyond the trails, and it reminded me a little of my home.” 

Grim observed in silence, stepping forward slightly out of Blóð’s embrace to get a closer look at the cabins. It was all in ruins, but there was still a certain air or charm to it. 

“This is _really_ cool,” she whispered as she kept walking, the pond eventually coming in view. The trees and the other scenery had just barely begun turning shades of yellow and orange as it prepared for autumn time, adding to the feel of the place. 

A silence hung between them as they explored the little bit that was in the clearing, definitely pushing the stress of yesterday’s press event out of Grims mind. 

She eventually made her way over to the pond, crouching down to catch her reflection in the water. Some ducks were coasting over the water across the pond, occasionally quacking but otherwise causing no other disturbance. 

Blóð had made their way over to her and sat next to her, simply looking out in the distance in thought. She sat down the rest of the way, scooting slightly closer to them so their shoulders just barely brushed against each other. 

“So, I think I found out my name the other day,” she admitted out of the blue, her fingers finding the pendant of the necklace they had given her and twirling it between them. 

They shifted in their spot, turning their head to watch her, not needing to contribute for her to continue. 

“When Neets, Ajay, and I were in the labs, during the match. There was an audio recording, of who I can only imagine was the Voidwalker that had helped me escape from my dimension,” she started, keeping her eyes focused on the pond. 

“Renee Blasey,” she articulated, finally turning to meet Blóð’s gaze. “And the ‘Renee’ who was originally from this dimension worked with this dimensions Dr. Singh.” 

Blóð tilted their head, quirking a brow. “He was the doctor from the facility who kept you captive? In your dimension?” 

She nodded, turning her gaze back to the pond. “It’s just so weird, but it still feels fitting. The name, at least. But I’ve little to make sense of the small portion of what I’ve heard. There’s still so many questions.” 

Blóð inhaled slowly before nodding, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into their shoulder. “We’ll find out more, and get those answers. It might be a slow process as your memory comes back, but we’ll get there.


	13. Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another shorter chapter in this one, my apologies! had a little bit of difficulty coming up with an idea for today’s prompt.

The first time Grim had a fan approach her, she was taken by complete surprise. 

Ajay had decided to take her out to the nearest shopping center for some “girl bonding”, as she had called it, and to help Grim expand her closet, much to her protests. 

They were hitting up a Rue 21 when a girl, no older than 16 or 17, approached rather shyly. She almost didn’t see her, distracted by the clothing she was admiring on the racks, until Ajay had nudged her slightly and nodded in the girl's direction. Grim looked in her direction with raised brows, curious. 

“Hi, you’re Wraith -- right?” she had asked, clutching a notebook in her hands along with a pen. Wraith simply nodded. 

“Can I get your autograph? If that’s alright,” the girl asked, offering the notebook to her. It took Wraith a moment before she shook the gnats from her brain, handing Ajay the clothes she had in her arms that she was going to purchase. 

“Oh uhm, yeah! Let me just . . .” she murmured, grabbing for the notebook and chuckling under her breath at how foolish she was acting. “What’s your name?” 

“Antilla,” she beamed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she shifted her weight, hugging her arms around her middle. “You’re such an amazing hero in the arena, and I love what your abilities can bring to a fight.” 

Grim could feel herself flush slightly, not used to compliments from strangers. She smiled up to Antilla through her lashes as she finished writing up her autograph with a little message attached. She paused to read it and make sure she was pleased with what she wrote before smiling up at Antilla, handing her back the notebook. 

She seemed to vibrate as she jumped slightly, holding the notebook to her chest, “thank you so much!” 

“You’re welcome,” Grim breathed as the girl ran off, giving her a feeling of gratitude that she seemed to be growing a small following.


	14. Rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another shorter chapter, but sometimes I just like capturing the essence in shorter chapters without feeling like I’m running on too long.

The legends had decided to take a day off; from training, from daily chores — anything of that nature. Elliot had suggested going on a picnic, partially joking, but Ajay was in love with the idea and eventually the group was convinced. Caustic was more inclined to stay behind, but nonetheless, those who were coming decided to use the day to sit back and relax. 

Grim was excited for the idea, never having been on a picnic since her escape from the facility. She had helped Ajay look for decent parks in the area that had plenty of space for activities and even simply for leisure. 

When they had arrived, Grim had helped set up their blankets to lay over the grass and eventually settled. She sat back against Blóð, their legs spread out to position herself back against their chest, arms wrapped around her middle. Neets, Ajay, and Makoa had also made themselves comfortable; meanwhile Elliot, Pathfinder, and Octavio had found themselves venturing off to explore trails and the like. 

“Who thought it was a good idea to let the three of them venture off together unsupervised? They all share one collective brain cell, and it belongs to Path,” Neets teased, chuckling and shaking her head. Makoa shot her a look but couldn’t help breaking and laughing. 

“Ell can be . . . a _handful_ sometimes, but I definitely think Octavio will throw what little impulse control he has out the window,” Makoa said, scoffing slightly with a shake of his head. “The two of them together is way too much chaos.” 

Grim enjoyed listening to the bickering back and forth, humming softly to herself as Blóð planted a soft kiss to her neck just below her ear. She smiled bashfully, rocking slightly in their arms. 

“So,” Ajay started, smirking a brow in Grim and Blóð’s direction, “when was _this_. . .” 

Ajay gestured in their direction, shrugging a shoulder slightly. “When did this become a thing?” 

Grim wasn’t one to actively hide that her and Blóð were romantically involved, but they rarely did show it publicly. The legends had nothing against mingling or dating within their circle (Elliot and Makoa being a prime example), but they were definitely still finding their footing. It happened very gradually but all at once at the same time, the transition very fluid. Neither specifically asked the other out, but they were definitely more than just casually seeing each other. 

Grim pressed her lips together and slowly looked back at Blóð, shrugging slightly. “I mean. . .” 

Blóð linked their hands with Grims at her stomach, resting their chin on her shoulder. 

“Kind of over time — there’s not really a specific time frame,” they trailed off, turning to Grim to gaze at her, causing her to flush slightly. She nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, feeling herself clam up at the attention. 

“You two are a perfect fit,” Neets complimented, easing some tension, and criss crossing her legs to rest her weight on them, shooting Grim a wink. 

“I think she does all the work looking good for the both of us, but. . .” Blóð teased, gently pinching Grim’s love handle. She scoffed slightly with a roll of her eyes, but shot a smirk in their direction. 

“You guys remind me of when Ell and I first started out,” Makoa reminisced, “we were a little more reserved and withdrawn about the fact that we were dating until we became more serious.” 

Grim smiled at the thought, leaning back a little closer into Blóð as they gently squeezed her. She enjoyed the natural conversation that occurred between them all, even when the boys and Path returned from their adventures. They ate their subs and snacks, laughing and simply enjoying the company of a good day's rest.


	15. Skull

A couple days after the picnic, the day before their next match, Blóð insisted on taking Grim somewhere special for just the two of them. She had her appointment this morning for the nurse to check up on her arm, which was healing as nicely as the nurse had expected, but was bummed that it wasn’t as healed as it should be; the nurse had heavily recommended she sit out for the match the next day. 

So Blóð pulled some strings and was taking her to the arena in a smaller version of the drop ship, almost like a jet, near skull town. Carefully, they walked her up one of the ribs of the skeleton that hovered over the town and found an ideal spot to position themselves in and watch the sky. 

“They don’t put us into matches when it’s dark or nighttime in here, but it almost always has the best view of the sky at night,” they mused, pulling her back to cuddle into their chest. She hummed softly, watching the sky with awe. 

“It’s really beautiful,” she murmured, watching as a couple of shooting stars flew by in the distance. She oooo'd and aaaa’d, sitting forward slightly in excitement. 

Blóð gently ran their fingers up and down her back, sitting up to press kisses to her shoulder and neck. 

“It really is, isn’t it?” they purred between kisses, wrapping their arms around her waist. “The stars are pretty nice too.” 

She furrowed her brows as she turned to look at them before she realized what they had meant. She rolled her eyes and gently nudged them, giggling under her breath with her hand pressed to her mouth. 

“You’re just full of compliments this week, aren’t you?” she gushed, cupping her hand to their cheek and pressing her lips to theirs. 

“All of them very true,” they murmured against her lips, smiling into the kiss. She moaned slightly, parting temporarily to turn around and straddle their waist, deepening the kiss. 

“Well, you _are_ quite the charmer,” she breathed, letting her hands rest on either side of their neck as they grabbed her sides, pulling her close. 

The night continued, with the stars behind them and both too involved with each other to notice that shooting stars continued to fall.


	16. Growth

Grim was in the commons kitchen area, scrounging up food to make some dinner. Neets, Ajay, Octavio, and Elliot had all agreed to have a group night dinner, and somehow Grim got picked to cook dinner. She seemed to be managing fine _so far_ , if ‘making a mess so bad it seemed like someone dropped Makoas ultimate in the kitchen’ could be considered fine. 

She groaned and planted her elbows on the counter, pushing her face into her palms. She want going to get anything done if she seemed to be messing up this badly over a simple dinner. 

“You need help over there?” 

Her head shot up and she whipped her head to look over her shoulder, finding Elliot leaning against the threshold of the door with a smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes with a scoff and straightened her back, resting both palms onto the counter. 

Elliot met her at the counter and shuffled around slightly, pushing certain ingredients out of the way and grabbing new ones. 

“You’re in luck, I can save you,” he teased, shooting a smile in her direction. She shot back an annoying glance, but shuffled slightly out of the way whilst staying sidelined in case he needed help. 

“My mother liked cooking, I liked spending time with her as a kid,” he beamed, shrugging slightly. “I learned a few things. 

A genuine smile pulled at the corners of his lips and she felt her heart tug. He didn’t talk about his mother a lot; at least in front of her. 

“I bet she’s an amazing woman,” Grim mused, resting her hip against the counter and leaning her weight against it, arms crossed loosely over her chest. 

“She is,” he whispered, clearing his throat slightly. Grim tilted her head, furrowing her brows as she gave him a sympathetic look. Elliot shuffled his feet, keeping his hands busy with making dinner for a couple beats before continuing. 

“She has dementia, so she doesn’t get to remember much of me anymore — or at least that I’m her son,” he said, visibly swallowing. Grim reached out and rested a hand on his upper arms, squeezing gently. 

“Hey, I’m sorry — we don’t have to talk about that anymore,” she breathed, pressing her hand to the middle of his back and running her nails in between his shoulder blades. 

He shook his head slightly, giving her a sad smile, so quick she almost didn’t see it, before straightening his shoulders back. 

“It’s okay; it’s just, if it wasn’t for my mother, I wouldn’t be the man I am today,” he proclaimed, throwing the pan into the oven to bake, throwing a pan on the stove top to start pasta. 

“She raised you right, Elliot,” Grim commented, giving him a curt nod. “You grew into a fine young man.” 

Elliot nodded his thanks, looking at his wrist watch to keep track of time for the chicken in the oven before gesturing to the lounge area with his thumb. 

“Let’s get the blankets and movies ready.”


	17. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to do this chapter a little differently, in a first person POV journal entry for Grim! I hope you all enjoy this one, I had a fun time just having her express emotion and angst.

Dear Journal,

The therapist I’ve been seeing weekly since I arrived at the compound had recommended I keep a journal for when I might feel the need to process my thoughts and didn’t really know how to say them aloud, or if there was anything I felt the need to get out and didn’t really have anyone to talk to. 

It’s not like I can’t go talk to Blóð right now, but I felt like this wasn’t really a pressing manner; just something that I’d been sitting on for a while. 

I hear so many of the legends talk about how they miss home, but that even though they’re far away from their home planet, they still make the compound feel as homey as possible so they don’t get too homesick. 

Neets talks about when she worked for IMC — which I have to see how different they are from the IMC I knew — and was a soldier alongside her brother. That before he died, how close they were and how many fun things they did together. She talks about it with a faraway, sad look in her eyes. 

Elliot usually reminisces about his mother, and my heart can’t help but hurt for him. The way that she used to always cook, that he can always smell her perfume even if she’s not there. I can tell he just misses being in her presence, and misses a warm house to come home to with a very caring mother. 

Blóð always reminisced of their uncle, for whom their raven is named, and how he shaped Blóð into the person they are today. The amazing stories of their village, and how they used to hunt. I could only imagine what it would be like to live in a community like that. 

All of it makes me miss something I can’t even remember having. I’m jealous that they have these memories of a place they most felt themselves, and the family they were able to do so many fun things with; who could make them laugh, and lift their spirits, and support them. 

I don’t even know if I HAVE a family or a home to remember, or that’s worth remembering. It’s frustrating, not knowing, and not bei able to do anything about bringing my memory back instead of just waiting. 

I long to know about my past, and if I have a place to go to if the games don’t pan out like I’d hope.


	18. Sky

Grim had found herself on the rooftops of the compound late one night, unable to get to sleep but not wanting to bother Blóð. Not that they would mind; they’d always remind her that if she ever needed the company, to knock on their door no matter how early or how late. 

But she just kind of needed . . . space. Not from any of the legends specifically -- just from the noise, and the walls that seemed to close in on her. Besides, she had been thinking a lot lately of the audio file that she had listened to during her winning game, and wished she could get more information from the computers inside. She’d do anything to get more information on herself, even if it was just the most basic of information like her age and home planet. 

She knew that the Renee Blasey from this dimension was a science pilot, but could she have been in her dimension too? That would open up so much possibility to what she did before she became an experiment, before the IMC. Did she work with them just like the Voidwalker? 

With a sigh, Grim looked up to the night sky with a small sigh, closing her eyes as a light breeze pushed through her. It bothered her, that the little bit of information she did find just led to more questions. She figured that it might happen until she started remembering more about her life until there was nothing left to remember. But she seemed to unravel something that contained more secrets than it did straight information that simply anyone might know; something that wasn’t public knowledge or easily accessible. 

She pushed a hand through her hair and gripped at the nape of her neck before finally standing and walking herself back down to her room, trying to push her thoughts out of her head long enough for her to fall asleep.


	19. Target

A couple months passed before Grim had suspicion of another lead. She had continued to run into dead ends, always having difficulty knowing where to look or what to research to find the answers she sought from her past. Considering this dimensions IMC facility might not have similar affiliations than that in hers; at least, if they did, they hid it very well. 

Researching ‘Senior Science Pilot Renee Blasey’ simply gave her a simple biography and what her work entailed. She was 32 and from Typhon, but anything else she attempted to dig into, she simply hit those dead ends. 

One thing that stood out to her the most was a symbol that appeared to be a hooded face, two dimensional, that appeared on several of the pages she sifted through when looking up information on the Voidwalker. 

She sat back in Blóð’s lap with her laptop in her lap, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she sighed defeatedly, her shoulders slumping. 

“You think it might have something to do with that new kid that joined the games recently?” Blóð asked, resting their chin gently on her left shoulder, which had healed considerably since their accident, although the scar was less than ideal. She furrowed her brows with a tilt of her head, shooting a look of confusion in Blóð’s direction. 

“What’re you talking about?” she questioned, shifting in Blóð’s lap slightly so she could look at them better. “Are you talking about Crypto?” 

Blóð simply nodded, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. She turned back to her computer, zooming in on the image. 

“What makes you think he’d have anything to do with this? He seems kind of like. . .” she hesitated, the look of confusion on her face growing. 

“Like what?” Blóð persisted, wrapping an arm around her front and resting it on her leg, rubbing circles into her thigh. 

“He’s a loner -- not that that’s a _bad_ thing exactly, but he doesn’t seem like the type to be involved in this kind of stuff,” she assumed, continuing to scroll down onto the webpage she was currently browsing. 

Blóð shrugged, brushing some hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. “You’re not wrong there, but this symbol shows up on his computers all the time.” 

Grim stopped dead in her tracks before pushing the laptop off her lap and turning in Blóð’s lap to face them, wrapping her legs lazily around them. “What’re you suggesting?” 

“I’m not suggesting he’s part of the team that tried to hurt you,” Blóð mused, their voice just barely a murmur as they cupped her face. “But there’s no telling what his involvement might be, or if he’s looking into them himself. He might even hold some information that could help. . .” 

They trailed off, watching as Grim connected the dots herself. She looked past their shoulder, tilting her head slightly. 

“He’s always digging into something, but he never says what when everyone asks,” she whispered, more to herself. “He knows how to scour the deepest parts of the internet that’s not readily available to the naked eye unless you know how and where to look for it.” 

Blóð raised their brows as she seemed to understand what they were insinuating. She shifted her gaze to them with a growing grin, and teasingly shoved their shoulder. “How come you’re always so smart?” 

They chuckled, pecking a small kiss to her lips, wrapping their arms around her waist and pulling her closer, sending her into a fit of giggles. She tucked her face into their neck, humming softly as they embraced. 

* * * 

A couple of days later, Grim was meeting Neets, Ajay, and Elliot in the commons for lunch. She had noticed Crypto had made a small appearance to make himself some food and sat at the table while feverishly typing away at his laptop, barely touching his food. 

She couldn’t help but cast glances his way as she debated when she should approach him to ask about the symbol and its significance. Or if she should even approach him at all; would she seem strange in doing so? She wasn’t sure how to broach the subject, assuming that “hi, I was wondering if you know anything about that weird symbol and why it seems to be all over your computer screens?” would be an appropriate conversation starter. 

He wasn’t much of a social person, having mostly casually talked to Makoa, but that was it out of all of them. He only occasionally approached Natalie, but that was to talk science. They didn’t seem to have much of a friendship outside of that. 

She attempted to focus on the movie they were watching whilst not making it obvious that she kept glancing over to him. She hoped she was at least being subtle as she grew the courage to get up and talk to him. 

She chewed on her bottom lip as she slouched in her chair, kicking her feet up on the coffee table with her arms wrapped around her. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Crypto putting his dishes in the sink and folding up his laptop. 

After a few seconds passed and he left the room, she counted to five before telling the others that she was going to run to the bathroom and slipped out of the room. She caught Crypto turning a corner as he was probably heading back to his room. She continued straight and cast a glance down that hallway he turned down to see him entering a room and closing the door behind him. 

She huffed slightly as she continued down the hall and entered the ladies’ bathroom and stood at one of the sinks, leaning her weight onto her hands. She watched herself in the mirror, shaking her head at herself. 

“Why are you so afraid to talk to him?” she whispered to herself, pressing her lips in a tight line. With a sigh, she pushed herself off the counter and left the bathroom, considering if she should go knock on his bedroom door before going back to the commons, but reminding herself that that probably wouldn’t be wise. 

She slowed as she passed by the hallway that led to his room as she glanced down it again, biting at her thumb nail, but shook her head as she fastened her pace to head back to the commons. 

Before she could make it to the doors, she felt gentle fingers press into the crease of her inner elbow to stop her, and she quickly retreated from the unfamiliar touch, looking down questionably at the hand before shooting her gaze towards its owner, finding herself face to face with Crypto. 

Her stomach flipped and clenched with nerves, her face flushing with warmth. He didn’t seem aggravated or annoyed, but watched her with a curious look, brows furrowed. 

“Are you following me?” he asked in a hushed tone, removing his hand when she glanced back down at his hand that still held her elbow. 

“I -- I’m not doing . . .” she muttered, looking anywhere that didn’t meet his gaze. She stepped back slightly, holding her hands up in an innocent gesture. 

“You’re not . . . targeting me for any reason, are you?” he asked, which was the question that caused her to shoot him an accusatory look, although he probably didn’t deserve it. 

“You think I’m . . . _targeting_ you?” she asked, almost offended if she weren’t so appalled that he thought she was capable of doing that. 

He looked both ways down the hall before gesturing for her to follow, and she hesitated, wondering if she even should but she knew she had questions that she had wanted to ask him, so she didn’t dwell. 

He led her to a quieter hall and ducked into a quieter location so no one would overhear. She heard rumors that he was paranoid, but this seemed a little over the top. 

“Your search history is . . . questionable at best, and you seemed to be a little too interested in following me this afternoon,” he answered, shifting his weight between feet. 

“Yeah, I was trying to ask you something but you rushed to your room . . . wait, how did you get access to my search history?” she fired back, her voice raising a little higher. He shushed her and gestured for her to lower her voice, looking both ways down the hall. 

“I did checks on all the legends before I started and continue to do so for personal reasons, I can’t be too careful,” he answered, giving a vague answer that just left her more confused than when they started this conversation. “Since when does someone research themselves that much and the type of research they’ve done in the past?” 

She just stared blankly, still appalled at the fact that he was so paranoid about the people he’d be competing with that he’d invade their privacy and check what they googled. She stared up at him, crossing her arms sternly over her chest. 

“Wait, what’re you talking about?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. He shrugged, checking both ways down the hallway again. 

“You’re a scientist and a pilot, right?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. She realized that he didn’t know she wasn’t the Renee from this dimension, that no one must have told him, or assumed that he knew. She sighed and pushed a hand through her hair, gripping at the nape of her neck as she began to pace. 

“What? What’s the matter?” he questioned, reaching out to console her, but she backed away before he could touch her, waving him off. If he was unaware of her predicament, then he probably couldn’t help her anyway. 

“Nothing -- forget about it,” she murmured, walking off down the hall and making her way to her room, completely forgetting about that movie she was supposed to be watching with her friends.


	20. Friendship

The next day, Grim found herself avoiding confronting Crypto, mostly due to embarrassment over the confrontation from yesterday. If he wasn’t aware of her situation, would it be wise for her to ask for his help looking into it? Maybe it was best not to involve him; the less people the better. She debated all morning on the situation, knowing she was probably jonesing herself out for nothing. 

That afternoon, she had made her way to the commons to fetch some food, hoping she could get in quickly and get out on the off chance that she’d see Crypto. She knew she should apologize for her odd behavior, but found it difficult to dig up the courage to do so. She waved hello to a couple of the legends that sat on the couches, trying to make herself as small as possible to limit any interaction that would keep her longer than necessary. 

When she had finished making herself a sandwich, she made some small talk with Elliot and Makoa as she was walking out the door, her eyes steady on them as she walked backwards over the threshold. When she righted herself, she turned the corner to walk down her hallway when she practically ran into Crypto, backing up immediately to make space. 

“Crypto, jesus! Don’t scare me like that,” she murmured, getting ready to walk around him before he pushed himself off the wall to stop her. It was then that she realized that he must have been standing there to wait for her to come down the hall and she tensed. 

“Look, I’m sorry for startling you,” he started, putting his hands up in a surrendering gesture to show he meant no harm. “I just wanted to apologize for yesterday if I stepped over any boundaries.” 

She blinked slightly as she furrowed her brows in confusion, tilting her head. “ _You_ wanted to apologize?” 

“I know I dumped some weird information on you, and I didn’t want you to be weirded out by my comment about looking into you -- into _all_ you guys, but I promise I didn’t see anything I wasn’t supposed to, and I wouldn’t without your permission,” he stated, shrugging slightly as he dug his hands into his coat pockets. “So yeah, I wanted to apologize. I have targets on my back, and it's a habit for me to look into anyone I come in contact with or become acquaintances with.” 

She wiped a free hand over her mouth as she absorbed all that information before rubbing it over the nape of her neck. 

“I’ve been avoiding you today because _I’ve_ wanted to apologize,” she admitted, glancing up at him defeatedly. He tilted his head, quirking a brow. “The way I acted yesterday was uncalled for, and I know I kind of freaked out. But it wasn’t because I was insulted, or anything, about you looking into any of us. That actually . . . really isn’t all that surprising.” She shrugged slightly, sighing. 

“How about we call it a truce then, yeah?” he suggested, offering a hand for her to shake. “Friends?” 

She eyed his hand before taking it and shaking it once before withdrawing it back to her side. 

“Friends,” she whispered, eyeing her feet bashfully before glancing back up to him. “I actually . . . I do have a favour to ask, though; which involves using your expertise to look into something. Is that alright?” 

He watched her for a couple moments as he contemplated it before nodding his head once, tugging the jacket tighter around him when he pushed his hands back into his pockets. 

“What do you need?”


	21. Scar

She had planned a meet up with Crypto later in the week to look into the research team responsible for testing the phase shift tech and multi-dimensional travel. If he could dig deeper into the Voidwalker and what she sought out to accomplish alongside Dr. Singh, it could lead to information about her universe (at least she hoped), and maybe she’d be able to learn why the Voidwalker wanted to go after him. 

She threw on a wife beater with high waisted skinny jeans and quickly and quietly made her way to his room. She told Blóð that she had arranged this with Crypto and although they were supportive of her finding her answers, they cautioned that not every stone needed to be overturned, and maybe it wasn’t wise to look into information that she had no business looking into. 

She found herself slightly frustrated at the comment, although she understood that they were just trying to look after her. But . . . these were answers that, if left to the imagination, would drive her crazy coming up with her own scenarios in her head. 

When she got to Cryptos door, she inhaled deeply and set her shoulders back, lifting her hand to knock on the door but was surprised when Crypto answered it before she got the chance to. She blinked, lowering her hand back down to her side as he stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. 

“I’ve got everything up and running, I was just waiting for you to come by to start,” he said as she stepped over the threshold slowly, observing the room but keeping her hands tucked into her jean pockets and making herself as small as possible so as not to touch or bump into anything. 

He had equipment and tech all over the room, computer screens blinking to light and hardware she didn’t even have names for. It seemed all over the top, but to him, it probably made his job easier. 

He pulled out a chair next to his for her to sit and she thanked him as he nodded slightly and took his seat next to her, beginning to plug in information as she recalled it. 

* * * 

Grim had started to become impatient, twirling in the chair and sighing heavily. If she had known this would take a while, she’d have stayed in her room or on standby until he had found some answers. Or at least, she wished she had brought something to occupy her time. 

“So, where did you get that from?” Crypto had asked, elbow leaning against his desk as he held his chin in his hand. Grim turned a confusing eye to him, tilting her head. He nodded his chin in her direction, leaning forward and carefully tracing his fingers over the scar on her left shoulder. 

The touch surprised her, sending shivers down her arm but she forced herself to stay put instead of shrinking back from the touch. 

“Oh,” she whispered, watching his hand attentively. “I, uhm . . .” 

She tucked a strand of hand behind her ear, looking away and staring at the ground. 

“Just from one of the matches — I clipped my shoulder pretty bad during a fight,” she murmured, twisting her mouth as she fiddled her thumbs in her lap. 

Crypto simply hummed before withdrawing his hand and sitting back, returning to watching the screens as he leaned against the desk again. 

With him suddenly not so close, she could feel herself breath again, her heart pounding in her chest. She closed her eyes tight, pinching the bridge of her nose. She needed to get herself together, feeling foolish for getting so worked up over Crypto simply touching a scar. 

She sighed heavily, pushing herself from the chair and heading for the door. 

“Hey, where are you going?” Crypto asked abruptly, confused by her sudden movement. 

“I just need to go get a drink; I’ll be back.” 

* * * 

Grim had made it to the commons and pulled a water bottle from the fridge, leaning against the counter and pushing her hands through her hair as she gripped, sighing heavily. 

Why was she so affected by this? He barely even touched her, let alone did it with a purpose or with a double meaning. She was looking into it way more than necessary, and so she took in a deep breath and pushed her weight off the counter, grabbing the water bottle and jumping slightly when she turned and was immediately faced with Blóð. 

“Hey,” they breathed, reaching out to console her, rubbing their hand up and down her arm. “I called your name a couple times; is everything okay?” 

She tried to put on a convincing smile, nodding slightly. “Oh, yeah; yeah! I’m sorry, just everything with Crypto has me a little distracted.” She chuckled under her breath, rubbing a hand over the nape of her neck. 

Blóð nodded and hummed softly, returning her smile but she couldn’t tell if they were thoroughly convinced; either worried or skeptical over her excuse, she couldn’t tell. 

She walked into their embrace and hugged them tightly around their middle, looking up to them and giving them a small kiss.


	22. Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for putting up with short chapters, you guys! I feel bad that I can't think of much else to make the chapter longer but I'd rather settle for a shorter chapter that hits the spot rather than writer a run on chapter that you get bored reading half way through. Enjoy the drama that will ensue!
> 
> (And depending on where I go with this whole Crypto side story, aka if I actually make it a thing and have Grim leave Blóð for Crypto, there's a possibility that this fic might get a sequel! But if I resolve the issue before the fic ends, it'll probably be all by it's lonesome.)

Grim fell asleep that night still feeling the weight of Cryptos fingers on her shoulder. She knew she was over exaggerating the meaning of the gesture, delving into her own delusions over a simple touch. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t find him at least a _little_ attractive, but it wasn’t something she felt the need to pursue on, **especially** given her current relationship status. 

She tossed and turned in bed before finally falling asleep, no doubt much later than usual. She had dipped into a dream; 

She was in a sundress, all white, in a field with a blanket set as if for a picnic or a good afternoon out. She was surprised, not only because she detested dresses, but she wasn’t one for “traditional” picnics. Before she could turn around to observe the area, a set of hands rested on her love handles and gently squeezed, the mysterious person behind her gently brushing kisses down her neck. 

“Blóð, what is this for?” she asked, her voice a murmur. But it wasn’t Blóð’s voice she was met with -- it was Cryptos. 

“You wanted to go on a picnic, remember?” he murmured against her shoulder, wrapping his arms the rest of the way around her and gently squeezed. Her stomach twisted with nerves, but she tried to keep her cool, feeling herself get tense. 

“No, I didn’t,” she mused, her brows furrowed in confusion. She turned her face up to him, tilting slightly to the side. 

“You begged me for god knows how long,” he confirmed, slightly smirking before pressing a kiss to her forehead and pulling his arms from her waist to grab her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. He had callouses, but not quite the same as Blóð, not as rough. He led her to the blanket spread out on the grass and sat her down, laying beside her and leaning his weight on his elbow as he rested his head in his hand. 

She simply watched as she waited for an explanation, not understanding how the situation came to be. When he realized she was going to remain silent, he sat up and cupped her cheek, running his thumb over it. 

“Do you not like it?” he asked, face suddenly filled with worry. She felt her heart hurt, but knew this wasn’t right, this wasn’t supposed to be happening. She met his eyes and he dipped his head to give her a kiss. . . 

Just as her alarm went off the next morning, causing her to sit up straight and breathing abnormally heavy. Her heart was pounding in her chest, a thin layer of sweat coating her forehead. She pinched the bridge of her nose, swearing under her breath to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know -- one of those dumb dream chapters where the person wakes up before they kiss! I'm a sucker for them tho, don't @ me lol


	23. Meal

She was lost in thought, nipping at her thumb nail. She didn’t know what to make of her dream the other night, wondering _why_ she was so fixated on someone she thought she didn’t really have any interest in. Nor did she feel like her relationship with Blóð was lacking to gravitate towards someone different. She grabbed for the pendant that hung from her neck, twirling it between her fingers. She sighed slightly, twisting her mouth. 

“Hey,” Blóð whispered in her ear from behind her as they grabbed at her lovehandles, appearing behind her unexpectedly. She jumped slightly as she was pulled from her thoughts, humming softly with a chuckle under her breath, smiling in Blóð’s direction. 

They were preparing dinner for the both of them to enjoy up on their balcony, to spend some good alone time -- just the two of them. 

“What’s the matter?” they asked as they brought the last of the entrees and placed it between them, sitting opposite of her. “You’ve seemed distracted lately.” 

She inhaled sharply, casting her eyes away as she flushed. She wasn’t good at hiding things from them even if she wanted to, and she didn’t like keeping these . . . doubts from them, if that’s what she could even call it. It left an icky feeling in her stomach. She nipped at her bottom lip as she contemplated, sighing softly, as she debated how to broach the topic. 

“I had this . . . really weird dream the other night,” she started, furrowing her brows as she cast her eyes back to Blóð. She sighed heavily, picking at her fingernails pensively in her lap. She explained her dream to them, prefacing it by letting them know nothing was actually happening between her and Crypto. 

“What started it was the other day when I first asked for his help researching the IMC facility, he . . . brushed my shoulder, because he noticed my scar,” she commented, realizing how foolish it sounded now that she said it out loud. “I don’t know, it’s not like I’m . . . _pining_ after him or anything, and -- just, _please_ don’t think this has anything to do with me, like, having doubts about, y’know about us. Because that’s not the case, I promise, I --” 

She cut herself off, feeling her throat tighten and eyes swell with tears the more she talked about it, feeling like she was digging herself into a hole. Her stomach rolled with nausea, worried that she might’ve talked herself into a spiral, and gave Blóð a reason not to trust her. She covered her mouth as she gasped, tears immediately spilling down her cheeks. 

Blóð immediately crawled over to her, gently grabbing her shoulders and pulling her to them, pressing their hand to the back of her head as she dug her face into the crook of their neck. 

“Shh, hey, it’s okay,” they whispered, rocking her back and forth. She continued to gasp for air, her body shaking with tears. 

“I get it if you’re mad at me,” she attempted to say through her tears, wiping her cheeks on Blóð’s shoulder. 

Blóð simply consoled her, remaining silent, as they rubbed her back the way she liked until her crying died down. They held her at arms length as they cupped her face with both hands, rubbing leftover tears with their thumbs. 

“I am not mad,” they confirmed, their voice soft and nonthreatening, which made her eyes well up with tears even more. “I’m glad you were honest with me instead of holding it in, and trying to figure this out behind my back.” 

She inhaled slowly and let out a shaky sigh as she nodded, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Are you sure?” 

They nodded back with a small smile, petting her head gently as they kissed her forehead. Carefully, they reached back to grab a bottle of water and opened it before handing it to her. She mouthed a ‘thanks’ before taking a couple generous sips and capping it, placing it beside her. 

“I love you, okay?” they reassured, holding her face gently and holding her gaze. She inhaled sharply, mouth parted slightly as her eyes went wide. It was the first time they said they loved her, neither saying it herself to them yet. She nodded curtly as she looked in her lap, attempting to hold back more tears but failing. 

They pulled her to their chest again and she wrapped her arms around them as well, letting her forehead rest against their neck. 

“I love you too,” she whispered as they tightened their arms around each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've eight chapters left and I was going to throw in a little drama with Grim mistakingly falling into a love triangle with Crypto but I can't make myself have that happen. Or at least completely behind Blóð's back. I was thinking of doing _something_ since I kind of manifested it already and made it (slightly) a possibility, so we'll see how it goes. Won't go into _too_ much detail to give away anything ;) but definitely expect some kind of drama!


	24. Hobby

Grim was pacing slowly around Cryptos room one afternoon as they were hanging out, running their search on his computers in the background. He found himself busy typing away at one of his computers, not needing to occupy each other's time with conversation. Grim had invited Blóð to hang out with them when they were finished taking care of their chores for the day and Crypto was fine with it; he showed curiosity in meeting Blóð officially. 

“So is all . . . _this_ ,” Grim started, flicking her wrist to gesture towards all his computers and tech, “a big hobby of yours? You seem pretty invested.” 

He simply nodded with a quiet ‘mhm’ when she peeked over his shoulder at him, hand poised at his mouth as he concentrated at the screen in front of him. He seemed to be searching into something of his own accord, putting any and all of his freetime into keeping himself occupied at his computer. 

She hummed, turning her attention back to all his extra monitors running programs in the background -- all inconsequential and without meaning to her, but she was sure it was something important. 

A quiet knock on the door caused her to pull away from them, a smile coming to her face when she opened the door and was met with Blóð. 

“Hi,” she whispered, the corner of her mouth twitching up into a smile. They mouthed their hello back as they rested a hand on her hip and pressed a kiss to her temple and then down on the soft skin behind her ear, causing her to giggle and press her shoulder up into her neck. 

She stepped aside to let them through and saw Crypto peeking over his shoulder at them, but quickly turning away when she met his gaze, clearing his throat. Her stomach twisted slightly and she bashfully cast her gaze to her feet before closing the door behind her. 

“You guys have any luck getting anywhere in this search of yours?” Blóð asked, eyeing the monitor Crypto was currently working on. He shrugged slightly, turning in his chair to face them. 

“There’s definitely information that requires some digging, but it’s something at least,” he mused, sitting forward in his seat and resting his elbows on his knees. "We're at least farther along than we were a couple days ago." 

“I appreciate you helping her, in all of this,” Blóð thanked, sitting on a nearby loveseat. “Ever since she got here, it’s just been nonstop questions.” 

Crypto nodded curtly, meeting Grims gaze with a small smile before shifting his gaze back to Blóð. “Of course, it’s what I do.” 

Grim met Blóð on the loveseat, draping her legs over their lap and resting her head on their shoulder as they wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing a hand up and down her arm and resting their other hand on her calf. She closed her eyes and sighed, happy that she might finally be getting the answers she hoped for.


	25. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been just barely mentioning the days theme at one small point in each chapter, and I'm so sorry for that! I've just been getting so deep into the story that I at least just try to make sure I mention it in passing; but I promise this is gonna get happier as we reach the home stretch here in the last final days of July. I hope you guys enjoy this one!

Grim decided to spend her afternoon in the commons, throwing a kettle on the stovetop to boil water for tea and watch mindless movies on TV. She wore her comfiest gray sweats (that she may have stolen from Blóð that fit her perfectly) and her favourite blanket to cuddle under on the loveseat. Crypto sat on the other end, resting his chin in his palm as he stared blankly at the television, not really watching. 

“So you’ve been on the run ever since?” she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder as she pulled mugs from some cabinets. “In fear of your life, afraid of what could happen to Mila.” 

He simply nodded in response, humming softly. The tea kettle began to whistle and she pulled it from the stove top, bringing it over to the coffee table with the mugs with nothing but tea bags in them. 

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, slowly dipping into the couch as she filled her cup with hot water and steeping her tea bag before carefully taking a sip and setting it back down to let the water continue to cool. 

“It’s okay,” he breathed, sighing softly as he turned his attention towards her. “Thanks for making the tea.” 

She gave him a reassuring smile as she tucked her feet underneath her and pulled the blankets over her legs, leaning her elbow onto the back of the loveseat. 

“I appreciate you lending an ear; I haven’t grown quite close with too many other people to really . . . vent to,” he thanked, the corner of his mouth twitching with a hint of a smile. She returned it, nodding softly. In their silence, he continued to gaze at her, tilting his head somewhat. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, smirking. 

“What?” she asked, tipping her head back slightly, feeling herself flush a bit. He shook his head with a light hum, glancing into his lap. 

“Nothing,” he breathed, chuckling softly under his breath before glancing back up to her through his lashes. Before she could even register what he was doing, he reached over to her to cup his hand carefully behind her neck and pull her to him, causing her to inhale sharply before he pressed a long kiss to her lips, her stomach tightening. 

She felt suspended in euphoria yet stunned with shock, his lips warm and plump against hers. He pulled away and she had let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding in, his breath rolling over her face. He had pushed in kiss her again as he wrapped his other arm around her waist but she had pulled away before he could commit and stood from the loveseat, the blanket pooling at her feet. 

“Crypto, I --” she muttered, holding her hands up to gesture to stay back, muttering under her breath. 

“Renee, I’m so sorry . . . I --” Crypto retaliated, sitting forward on the loveseat and reaching out for her. She shook her head rapidly and darted for the door, wiping a hand over her mouth as she headed for the one place she knew she could process what had just happened. 

* * * 

She had met up at Elliots room, knocking the door urgently. He answered quickly, looking at her with confusion. 

“Hey, what’s with the tyrade?” he asked, observing her up and down. She probably looked as fluttered as she felt, and she didn’t know where else to go. Elliot was one of the first people she had grown close to here, aside Anita, but out of the both of them, Elliot seemed the best person to get advice from in her current situation. 

“Can I come in? Please?” she begged, sagging her shoulders slightly, pouting just barely. He stepped aside so she could enter, and grabbed her some water and sat her down, which she gulped feverishly. 

She relayed the story to him from the beginning, not quite in as much detail as needed, but enough to catch him up. 

“I told Blóð I wasn’t worried, that there was nothing there and that the dream I had was just a random thing,” she blurted, pressing her fingers to her forehead tightly. “I didn’t even sense he had any feelings there aside platonic! What am I gonna tell Blóð? **How** am I gonna tell them? I don’t want this to ruin anything.” 

She felt on the verge of tears, pressing her hand to her mouth. Elliot had stood from his chair and met her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and squeezing, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. 

“If you want, they can meet us here and we can tell them together? I believe you when you say you didn’t reciprocate and can help keep the situation calm,” he offered and she nodded, pulling away from his embrace as he texted Blóð to meet them at his room. 

Blóð eventually did meet up and Grim went over what happened with Crypto, her stomach in knots the entire time. She had to sit on her hands to keep them from shaking, afraid this would make or break their relationship. She told them there wouldn’t be any more issues, and then this happened. She would understand if they needed some time and space to sort out how they felt, and when she finished talking, they sat in silence as they processed what she had told them. 

“Is he still in the commons?” he asked relatively calmly when they finally decided to speak, yet there was a certain edge to their voice. She shrugged slightly, shaking her head. 

“I don’t know,” she whispered, her breath shaky and uneven. “Blóð, I’m really sorry.” 

She felt the tears finally spill over, but wiped them just as quickly as they ran down her cheeks. She could tell they were trying really hard to hold their composure, they’re hands clenched into fists at their sides. They were staring just past her shoulder, unable to meet her gaze. 

“Blóð,” she breathed, and they finally flicked their eyes to hers, and she could see an uncomfortable anger in them. With a shaky inhale, they stood from their seat and left Elliot's room in a rush, shutting the door harshly behind them. 

* * * 

Later than evening, she had made her way mindlessly to the balcony. She wasn’t sure how long she was there, but she had cried all she could before her eyes finally cried out. She stood at the railing and watched the sun begin to set, not really feeling anything after the stressful day. She was empty. 

She was unsure how long she stood there before she heard a gentle knocking behind her and she turned slightly on her heel to see Blóð standing in the threshold. There was a silence that sat between them, and her throat tightened. 

“Hi,” they murmured, stepping slightly over the threshold. She nodded curtly, casting her eyes down to her feet as she let out a breathy exhale. 

“Hey,” she breathed, looking out into the sunset before turning completely to face them, leaning against the railing. Neither of them said anything as they watched each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. She nipped at her bottom lip, feeling guilty over the days events. 

She finally observed their face and furrowed her brows when she noticed slight bruising near their left eyebrow that wasn’t there when they met with her at Elliots. She looked down at their hands to find bruised and slightly bloodied knuckles and she inhaled, looking up at them with slight annoyance, as if to imply she didn’t think what was implied to have happened was smart. 

"Blóð . . .” she sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly. They looked at their feet in defeat, almost embarrassed. 

“I know,” they murmured, looking at the palms of their hands before letting them rest at their sides again, glancing up at her with a pleading look. 

With a heavy yet slow sigh, she walked over to them and carefully observed their hands, their knuckles slightly swollen upon further inspection. 

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she scolded, her voice practically a whisper. She carefully traced her fingers over the backs of their hands before looking up at them through her lashes. They nodded slowly, inhaling slowly before they sighed. “I know,” they admitted before trailing their fingers down her cheek. “I just . . . I got _so mad_ when you were telling me what happened. And usually I can control myself and get myself through situations like that calmly, but the thought of him --” 

Blóð didn’t need to finish for her to understand before she nodded and pressed the fingers of their other hand to her lips, gently kissing their knuckles. 

“You aren’t . . . mad or upset with me, are you?” she asked, furrowing her brows as she glanced down defeatedly. They pressed their hand to her chin to make her look up at them and they shook their head, pressing their hand to the back of her neck and rubbed circles into her baby hairs. She nodded curtly, humming softly as they pulled her into a hug, holding each other tight.


	26. Holiday

About a month and a half had passed since the incident between Grim and Crypto, and for that she was grateful. With more time and distance, Crypto understood that he had crossed boundaries and had severely damaged the relationship, platonic or otherwise, between him and Grim. Of course, Blóð had helped with that (or hurt, depending on how one looked at it); Grim did feel some sympathy for Crypto, having taken the brunt of the damage when Blóð had confronted them about the situation, but healed quickly. 

The drama and gossip amongst the legends had sparked about what could have possibly happened, and Grim was grateful that Elliot did nothing to spread any rumors. She’d be lying, though, if she said she didn’t miss Crypto’s company and his friendship. He was a good companion, someone she felt naturally comfortable with and like she didn’t have to put up appearances. 

But she had moved passed it, although slightly disappointed that she couldn’t continue looking more deeply into the facility or Dr. Singh, mainly due to her current status with Crypto, but he had let her know (much to Blóð’s distaste) that he couldn’t seem to dig much up on the facility or the doctor leading the program and just to take what little information she was able to receive with gumption. 

She was looking forward, though, to spending her first major holiday with the legends since she had arrived, excited when she learned what Halloween was all about. Ajay and Elliot especially had gone into the dramatics with dressing up and hanging up decorations where they could. Ajay had made sure to buy a little something for Grim to throw on, which caused Grim to roll her eyes but couldn’t be completely upset, Ajay really bringing up the holiday spirit. 

They even went out of their way to throw a little get together for the legends, fit with food, snacks, and even alcohol. Grim dressed up in her black tights and threw on the deep purple mesh lace skirt over it with a brown leather belt, meanwhile throwing on a boho-styled crop top with witchy jewelry, and lastly throwing the outfit together with a floppy witches hat and heeled boots. The shirt exposed her belly and hips just slightly, and she twisted her mouth at her reflection when she observed herself in her mirror, wondering if it exposed too much. She wasn’t one to wear revealing clothing, but tore herself away from the mirror before she could change her mind and put something else on entirely. 

She made her way to the commons, where everyone seemed to have made it there already before her. She eyed Blóð across the room, dressed in their usual Nordic attire, and was surprised to see them talking to Crypto. She furrowed her brows, almost stunned beyond belief — she had thought they’d be forever set on distancing themself from him. 

She was almost tempted to confront the both of them but didn’t want to invade what could be a civil conversation or make anything worse. So she immediately walked over to the refreshments and grabbed herself a drink which Elliot was glad to help put together and brag about his bartending. 

“So what’s going on with them?” Elliot asked under his breath to Grim while focusing on making her drink, gesturing towards Blóð and Crypto. She shrugged, humming an ‘I don’t know’ as she peeked over her shoulder to them again. 

“I walked in and they were just _talking_ ,” she murmured, turning back to Elliot. “Blóð usually went completely out of their way to avoid Crypto at all costs. I’m surprised they even came knowing he’d probably be here; half expected for Blóð to throw hands if they ever showed up in the same place outside of training to the arena.” 

Elliot smirked at the comment, topping off her drink in a red solo cup and slid it over to her. “Let me know if you need it stronger as the night goes on.” 

She chuckled softly under her breath as she took a sip, groaning slightly when the force of the alcohol hit the back of her throat. 

“I think this’ll be fine,” she mused, clearing the back of her throat slightly. She nudged Elliot slightly with her elbow before turning and glancing again in Blóð’s direction, narrowing her eyes slightly. 

They caught her eye and winked before gesturing for her to come over and her stomach flipped. She nodded and took a couple extra sips of her drink as she walked over, positioning herself at their side as they draped an arm around her waist and rested their hand on her hip, massaging their thumb in circles over her skin. 

“What’s going on?” she asked as she glanced between the two of them before raising a brow up to Blóð. They nodded in Crypto’s direction who dipped his head in response and turned on his heel to socialize elsewhere before casting a glance in Grims direction and twisting the corner of his mouth up in a smile and winked. 

She tilted her head as she looked up to Blóð with slight confusion, standing in front of them now as she rested her free hand on their chest and they held her waist. 

“You gonna tell me what that was all about?” she questioned, quirking her brow again as she took a sip of her drink. They dipped their head into the crook of her neck as they placed teasing kisses to her skin, causing her to pull her bottom lip between her teeth and hum. “Don’t think you need to get on my extra good side — I won’t be upset.” 

“I don’t feel like I need to do any such thing,” they breathed against her ear before nipping slightly at her lobe, sending shivers down her spine. She felt goosebumps raise on her arms and she inhaled sharply before pulling away slightly to look at their face. 

“Oh yeah?” she whispered, her voice husky as she cast her glance downwards, feeling her face flush. “You don’t need to distract me to lessen the blow of what you’re probably gonna tell me.” 

She smirked slightly before looking up at them through her lashes, pushing herself up against Blóð a little more. 

“Mmm maybe I just want to admire how strikingly sexy you look first,” they complimented, shooting a smirk back at her before pressing their face down into her neck again and kissing down to her collarbone, sending her into a fit of giggles. They pulled her waist closer to theirs as they pressed a palm flat against the small of her back. “Can we talk about it elsewhere?” 

She hummed as she contemplated, twisting her mouth. “I don’t know — this isn’t just a ruse so you can get me alone and out of these close you find ‘oh so sexy,’” she teased, throwing a jokingly accusatory look their way. They pulled their head back and smirked at her, gently grabbing her hand and pulling her from the room. 

“I promise, it’s not that,” they teased, glancing quickly in Crypto’s direction before turning to lead her out. She narrowed her eyes quickly as she caught the exchange, twisting her mouth slightly. 

* * * 

“I’m sorry, you _what?_ ,” she asked, leaning back slightly in surprise. She was shocked the first time they explained their proposition, but still had a hard time processing it the second time. 

“Him and I were talking, and met up a few times this last week or two, and we both think it would be wise to simply test out, get it out of our systems,” Blóð explained. “It wouldn’t have to happen asap, we’d lead up to it. But we were thinking of the three of us getting together maybe this weekend and seeing how just hanging out feels first, getting comfortable fitting him into our dynamic. If it still seems too off putting, then we just leave it at that; if it seems to go well, then we keep seeing how it goes.” 

She blinked slightly, turning to stare off into space as she processed what Blóð was saying to her. They wanted to try a polyunit, whether it worked for the three of them, or if it was something Grim tested out dating the both of them despite if Blóð and Crypto remained just as her partners but not involved with one another. 

She inhaled slowly and let out a shaky breath, her emotions that she had been holding in about her feelings towards Crypto flooding back in. She’d be fooling herself if she said she didn’t feel some kind attraction, but it wasn’t enough for her to break from Blóð and pursue it. But she never thought of this kind of dynamic, never thought of this as a possibility. 

“So, you were thinking this weekend?” she asked, turning her gaze back to them.


	27. Music

That weekend, as promised, Blóð organized a meet up time at their room and promptly let Grim know. Now here she sat, 20 minutes before she was supposed to show up, worrying about whether what she was swearing was appropriate enough. All the three of them were going to do was out and get a feel for what they all expected if they were to commit to doing this, so she didn’t need to wear anything fancy, but she felt like leggings and a baggy crop top she borrowed from Ajay wouldn’t cut it. 

If it were just her and Blóð, she probably wouldn’t think twice. But she felt the need to . . . dress to impress, for lack of a better term. With clothes scattered around the room, she continued to rummage through the little bit of clothes that she had until she heard a knock on her door. Her head shot up and her stomach clenched. Was she late? She told Blóð she’d meet them at their room, and now wondered if she over extended her time to get ready. 

With an exaggerated sigh, she pushed her fingers through her hair and grabbed some belongings she wished to bring and opened her door but was surprised to see that it was Crypto. She stopped in her tracks and furrowed her brows in confusion. 

“Oh,” she breathed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know you were stopping by here first, I’m sorry; I thought you were Blóð.” 

“Oh, no — I’m sorry, I thought I’d come by to walk with you, figured we could talk along the way,” he explained, seeming just as flustered and bashful about the entire thing as she was. She chuckled softly under her breath and stared down at her feet before glancing back up at him through her lashes. 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” she murmured, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as they gazed at each other, feeling her stomach twist with nerves and her cheeks flush. He gave her a once over, taking in what she was wearing while hesitating when he caught her exposed midriff, before glancing back up to her quickly. 

“You ready to go?” he asked, stepping back so she could exit the room. She nodded before turning off her light and closing the door behind her. 

“I’m sorry I’m so nervous — Blóð kind of just sprung this on me the other night, and I’m still kind of processing,” she rambled, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. He gently nudged her side, shooting her a genuine smile. 

“No worries,” he breathed, keeping his eyes straight ahead but she swore she could see his complexion flush a light pink color. “I was kind of surprised they brought it up too; they approached me about the idea.” 

“Huh,” Grim said, tilting her head slightly. She was actually surprised by that — she would have thought that Crypto would have at least been the one to try and make amends, rebuild that friendship. Definitely probably wouldn’t have tried to suggest anything deeper than that, but at least apologize and remain acquaintances. 

“Shocking to you too, huh?” he asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his zip up as he twisted his mouth in contemplation. All she did was nod and hum her response, folding her arms across her middle. 

They eventually made their way to Blóð’s room and Grim knocked gently while announcing their arrival and opened the door before waiting for a response, finding them tending to their record player. It was the first time she’d ever seen them even use it and was, again, thoroughly surprised they were doing so. 

“Hey,” they welcomed, shooting her a smile and standing slightly. They reached out as she walked over to slightly rest their hand at her back and pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then to her neck before returning to the record player. 

“Whatcha working on there?” she asked, setting the things she brought down onto the coffee table. Crypto hesitated slightly by the door, seemingly overstimulated by several different things. They seemed to be fixated firstly on Blóð, given they didn’t have any of their facial coverings on, and it was probably his first time seeing them without. He also seemed to be in awe from all the decorations and plants in Blóð’s room, similar to how she was when she first visited Crypto’s room. 

“I wanted to break out the record player so we could listen to some music; just trying to get it to work,” they said, focusing slightly harder before they dropped the needle and music began playing. They smiled, mouthing an ‘aha!’ before turning the volume up a tad. 

“Did you want anything to drink? Some water? I have tea too as well as wine or . . .” Blóð suggested, trailing off slightly. Crypto simply shook his head, twisting his mouth. 

“Some water is fine,” he murmured before sitting at the love seat and Blóð grabbed a bottle of water from their mini fridge and handed it to him. He mouthed his thank you and set it on the coffee table without opening it. 

Blóð took a seat next to him and she found herself in a pickle — she found her nerves finally kicking in full force now that she was alone with the both of them and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. 

She found herself squeezing next to Blóð and draping her legs over their lap, which pushed them a little closer to Crypto as they all tried to fit on the love seat. 

“So,” Blóð started, resting a hand on her knee and squeezing slightly, while the other they slipped around her waist. 

“Before we get into this — can I ask why you suggested doing something like this?” Crypto asked, glancing at Blóð’s hand on her knee before looking up to them. 

Blóð hummed with a curt nod, meeting Crypto’s gaze. “I had initially approached you because I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you when I initially found out about the altercation between you two. And I know that, regardless of whatever attraction there was that you had, she missed your friendship.” 

This was all news to Grim, upon hearing this from Blóð. Was it really that obvious? She had enjoyed spending time with Crypto, even if it was just them hanging out in his room simply to enjoy one another’s company. But she didn’t know that it showed that much in his absence. 

She glanced over at Crypto who was watching Blóð, but must’ve felt her eyes on him and met her gaze; she was wondering what he was thinking and what he was feeling, but he was an expert and keeping his emotions hidden. 

“I figured I’d reach out, and that’s when I decided to maybe suggest an alternative instead of assuming things would go back to the way they were before it all went down — if opening our relationship to test this out and see if feelings were still involved; well that was something I was willing to do if it was something she needed to be happy,” Blóð explained, smiling over to Grim. Hearing _that_ of all things was what packed a punch. Her shock and confusion must’ve shown on her face, because Blóð immediately responded. 

“I could tell before he did what he did that there was something there, even if you didn’t know it yourself, and I was hesitant to admit that it was there — but I know now that it didn’t mean that you loved me any less,” they said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

She smiled softly and hummed, but casted her glance into her lap as she processed what they were saying. 

“So, this ‘alternative’,” Crypto spoke up again, shifting in his seat slightly to face them and leaned forward to lean his elbows against his knees. “What are you suggesting exactly?” 

“We’d schedule this for another night and sort through what we’d all be comfortable with, but essentially,” they started, trailing off from their sentence as they glanced between the two of them, hoping Crypto would catch on. 

There was a couple moments pause before Crypto’s eyes widened slightly and he sat up straight, glancing away as he processed what Blóð was implying. 

“Only if it’s something you’d actually want to pursue, with both of us,” Blóð eased in. “You don’t have to make the decision right away. I know you and I only briefly talked about the what if’s.” 

The extent of the situation seemed to really hit her — or at least, she didn’t really _think_ about it in detail until now. The three of them, in bed together with Blóð laying next to her and Crypto cuddling her from behind, insinuating foreplay and the both of them touching her and teasing her, and oh god her heart was racing at the thought of what Crypto would do to her. 

When she pulled herself from her thoughts, she saw Crypto watching her, and she was sure she was already blushing from her thoughts and she cleared her throat, nodding slightly. 

In his eyes, she could see vulnerability, yet an openness to try this, to be there for her. He inhaled slowly and cleared his throat, setting his shoulders back. 

“When exactly did you want to plan this for?”


	28. Treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a short one today — I had trouble figuring out what I wanted to do for this chapter but I kind of just started writing and got the muse as I went along. Hope you like this little Cryptaith chapter!

“Thanks for having me,” Crypto said, slowly sitting down onto the loveseat in Grims room as she nodded, curled up against one side in her PJ’s and a blanket draped over her lap. 

“I figured you and I could just kind of hang out, try to start over where we left off,” Grim mused, shrugging a shoulder slightly. “Blóð wasn’t entirely wrong, I did miss your company in those couple of weeks that we didn’t talk.” 

Crypto hummed and leaned forward on his elbows, smiling softly as a faint blush seemed to spread across his cheeks. Grim gently nudged her foot against his leg, returning the smile as she leaned closer to him. She could smell his body wash from his shower; a clean, fresh smell that fit him. 

“I do treasure your company, and your friendship,” Crypto murmured, turning his gaze to hers with a twinkle in his eye. “And I won’t push it, y’know, if this doesn’t work out. I just cherish that we’re talking again.” 

Grim gave him a crooked smile as she felt herself flush, glancing bashfully into her lap. She nodded before looking back up to him. 

“It’ll work out,” she breathed, a moment's pause sitting between them before she reached out and cupped his cheek, brushing her thumb over it. He inhaled sharply, tensing slightly before realizing he could relax and leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. 

She closed the distance between them as she pressed her forehead against his, running her hand through his hair before resting it at the back of his neck.


	29. Skin / Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I combined Day 29 (Skin) and Day 30 (Trust) together which is why I didn't post on Day 29! So this'll end up having 30 chapters instead of 31 to count for all the days of July. But I'm hoping to do something special for "chapter" 31 in a couple of days (you'll see what I mean! don't wanna spoil it but you'll understand if you're in the 31 days discord server.)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

They had decided on a date and time. To say Grim was way too entirely anxious was an understatement. But she kept herself together and she put on her best bra and panties (she wasn’t one to go all out in that department, usually settling for boxer briefs and a cheap sports bra) and dressed in those skinny jeans that made her butt look good and a top she borrowed from Ajay that accentuated her curves in all the right areas but still slightly loose. She inhaled slowly and let out a heavy sigh before forcing herself to leave, clenching and unclenching her fists in hopes that her hands would stop shaking.

She made her way to Blóð’s room, forcing herself to walk at a regular pace so she didn’t get there too fast and seem overly eager. When she arrived at Blóð’s room, she knocked gently before opening the door and peeking her head around to announce her arrival, yet surprised when she saw Crypto was already there and her stomach leaped. The both of them were sitting on the loveseat, Crypto facing Blóð with one leg tucked underneath him and Blóð’s arm resting on the back of the couch, their other free hand resting on Cryptos leg whose foot was resting on the ground. She smiled slightly, letting herself in the rest of the way and shutting the door quietly behind her.

“Hey, you’re here,” Blóð grinned, extending their hand towards her. She hummed and grabbed it as she walked to them and entwined her fingers in theirs as they pulled her hand to their lips and gently kissed them.

“Whatcha guys doin’?” she asked, quirking a brow and smirking slightly as she darted her eyes between them.

“We were just talking and getting comfortable,” Blóð explained, resting a hand on her hip and pulling her down to their lap as she giggled, pressing kisses along her neck. Carefully, she brought her legs up and rested her feet into Cryptos lap, who rested a hand on her shin and rubbed a hand up and down her leg.

She wondered what she might’ve missed before arriving, noticing the first couple buttons of Cryptos shirt unbuttoned and hair slightly tousled, his shirt stressed with wrinkles. She tilted her head with a smirk, humming softly.

“Is that so?” she asked, turning to Blóð who nodded and pressed a kiss to her lips, pulling her closer as they smiled into the kiss. She moaned lightly, nipping gently at their bottom lip. They dug their nails into her side at the gesture and she pulled away from the kiss to press her hand at the back of their neck and play with the baby hairs.

“You seem anxious to start,” they murmured, keeping their eyes cast downward as they slithered their hand under her shirt to rest it on her love handle and squeezing.

“Maybe just a little,” she admitted, rubbing their noses together before glancing over at Crypto, giving him a reassuring smile. She reached out to him and he leaned forward so she could grasp his shirt and pull him close, resting their foreheads together.

“I want you to kiss me,” she whispered, her heart racing and pulse pounding in her ears at the closeness with Crypto. His cologne filled her nose, intoxicating her. He nodded just barely as he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, each kiss growing deeper before he pushed a hand through her hair and gripped, moaning into her mouth. Eventually, he parted their kiss and again rested his forehead against hers as his breath came heavy.

“Lead the way,” he breathed, looking up at her through his lashes with a slight smirk. She nodded, seeing the nervousness in his eyes that she felt as well but knew it diminished when they touched.

She pulled herself up off Blóð’s lap and gently gripped Cryptos collar as she led him up off the couch, feeling him rest his hands on her sides. Slowly, she unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way down with shaking fingers, watching his chest become more exposed.

“Don’t be nervous,” he whispered, gently caressing her wrists as she got to the last couple of buttons and pressed her hands to his chiseled abdomen, nodding slightly. “I trust you.”

She cast her glance upwards to catch his gaze at the comment, pulling her lip between her teeth and relaxed when his eyes showed how vulnerable he was in this moment, wanting to be there with her just as much as she did him.

She traced her fingers over the dips and crevasses of his chest, pressing kisses along the sensitive skin there, making her way over his collarbone and gently nipping at the skin there, causing him to moan. She smiled, dipping her head around him to look at Blóð, holding her hand out to them.

“C’mere,” she murmured, wiggling her fingers as they raised from the couch and walked over to the two of them. She turned to face Blóð as Crypto pressed himself to her back, pushing her hands through their hair to pull them to her and press a deep kiss to their lips as Crypto pressed kisses down her neck and sucked at the skin along the way. She moaned into Blóð’s mouth and arches her back slightly, feeling the inside of her thighs tingle and shake at the attention.

Blóð snaked a hand up her shirt and traced their fingers across the skin just under her breast and she inhaled sharply, pulling their bottom lip between her teeth. She felt Crypto grip a little tighter at her sides and press their bodies closer, feeling his erection press against her ass. She pulled away from Blóð’s kiss and rested her head back on Cryptos shoulder to give him better access to her neck, feeling him press a hand to the front of her neck and carefully squeezing as he sucked harder at her skin.

“Take me to the bed,” she whispered with a husky voice, looking up to Crypto with lidded eyes and pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. He nodded, placing several small kisses to her neck before pulling away from her. Blóð tugged at the bottom of her shirt and she lifted her hands so they could pull it over her head. She felt goosebumps raise on her skin at the sudden coolness.

Carefully, they helped remove each other's clothes until all three of them were in nothing but their undergarments, and all kneeled on the bed. Blóð positioned themself in front of Grim with Crypto behind her, who nibbled at her ear as they used a hand to flick open the back of her bra. She gasped slightly, shrinking into herself as she suddenly felt shy at exposing herself completely. She glanced up at Blóð who cupped her cheek and gave her a reassuring smile, grabbing a hand to press gentle kisses to her knuckles.

She nodded slightly before she let Crypto remove her bra the rest of the way and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as he pulled her closer to him to get a better view of her front, feeling his breath come heavy as he admired her.

“You’re so beautiful,” he mused, softly brushing his fingers over her nipples and gently playing with them which caused her to gasp, feeling a tingling sensation between her legs. In front of her, Blóð rubbed their erection as they watched Crypto tend to her and Grim reached out to replace their hand with hers and they groaned, dipping their head back. Carefully, she dipped her fingers in the elastic of their boxer briefs and pulled them down so they could come off. She loosely wrapped her hand around it and began jerking it lazily.

Behind her, Crypto dipped his fingers into her panties and teased her clit, causing her to jerk her hips back against his erection and moan out, inhaling sharply. “Fuck,” she whispered, resting her head back against his shoulder. “Keep going, please.”

She heard Crypto chuckle softly under his breath before kissing down her neck some more and digging his fingers deeper, teasing her entrance.

“Mmm you’re so wet for me,” he moaned, his voice raspy as he nipped at her ear. She found it difficult to respond with him teasing her, only able to groan sofly, as she continued thrusting her hand up and down Blóð’s shaft. She caught their eye, their cheeks flushed as they watched her get pleased and be pleased by her. They nodded softly, looking her over once and licking their lips briefly. She could imagine that they were probably wishing that they could be the one touching her.

“I want you inside me,” she whispered as she turned her head slightly to look at Crypto, keeping her gaze locked onto his mouth. He hummed as he quirked a brow, just barely pressing his lips to hers so they were almost touching, and dug his fingers into her. She groaned out, shitting her eyes tightly.

“Just like that?” he murmured against her mouth, pushing his fingers in and out of her in a steady rhythm. She moaned continuously, pushing her free hand through his hair and gripping slightly. She opened her eyes to make eye contact as he thrusted his fingers inside her, her mouth forming an O.

“Please, I want _you_ inside me,” she said again, arching her back so her ass pressed into his erection. She saw him falter slightly as his erection got some attention and she smirked, breathing heavily as he continued with his fingers a little longer before finally removing them. He helped remove her panties and had her get on her hands and knees as he removed his own boxer briefs. She cast a glance over her shoulder and gasped slightly at his size, feeling herself grow more wet at the thought of how it would feel inside her.

She looked forward and prepared herself as Crypto put a condom on and pressed the tip of his erection at her entrance. She moaned slightly, her breath uneven as she dipped her head down slightly. Carefully, he inserted the tip and she inhaled slowly, furrowing her brows. Eventually, when she showed no sign of resisting, he pushed his length in the rest of the way and she groaned loudly, tilting her head back.

His rhythm started slow before picking up the pace, and she sat up to achieve better leverage, his erection hitting her G spot at the right angle. He continued to tease her nipples and she groaned as his fingers slightly pinched and twisted them. She reached out for Blóð, holding them as close as she could so she could continue pumping their erection.

With all the added friction, it didn’t take long before Grim felt her pleasure build up and eventually release as she moaned out with her orgasm, Crypto following shortly thereafter. He slowed his pace as they came down from their high, pressing gentle kisses to her shoulder as she finished up with Blóð.

When they pulled away from each other and cleaned up, putting on nothing except for their underwear, Blóð grabbed the array of blankets they had set aside and placed them on the bed amongst their pillows and cuddled Grim from the back as Crypto lay next to her.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Blóð whispered in her ear as she smiled softly, turning her head to face them. She nodded and gave them a butterfly kiss, humming softly. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth bashfully before returning to her previous position to face Crypto, who laid with a hand behind his head and eyes closed.

She carefully traced her fingers up and down his sternum and his eyes opened slowly at the touch, turning to catch her eye. He gave her a soft, tired smile before quickly leaning in to cup her cheek and pull her in for a kiss, holding it a couple moments before releasing.

“I had a good time,” he murmured, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile. She nodded, pressing her forehead against his.

“I did too,” she giggled, letting herself lay comfortably between the two of them as they all fell asleep in their afterglow.


End file.
